Back to the Old Ways
by TheMightySnorlax
Summary: Unsatisfied with her current life, May decides to go find Ash in Alola to relive the epic adventures they had together. Ash aims to conquer the Island challenge, but things don't go as planned when they find themselves in the midst of a war between creatures from different worlds. Advanceshipping.
1. Chapter 1

Hi, this is my first go at a fanfic so please do give constructive criticism.

 **Back to the Old Ways**

"We've been walking around here for _hours_ ," May complained as she trudged mindlessly across the forest, her shoulders slumping in despair. She was about to blame Solidad for dragging her along, but decided against it; for May remembered that she was the one who suggested the idea in the first place.

"Relax," said Solidad. Unlike May, her companion did not seem too concerned about having to walk long distances. She was the more experienced of the two, and the fitter as well. "If you're that impatient all the time, you'll never become top coordinator."

That did the trick, for May stopped whining immediately. She decided to sulk in silence instead, thinking hard about Solidad's words. The depressing part of it? She wasn't exactly wrong. Drew was always a step ahead of her in contests, and whenever she looked close to winning Harley would come up with some obnoxious scheme and ruin her day.

May crossed her arms and sighed. Why did life have to be so difficult? All she did was fail, fail, get up only to fail again. Hoenn Grand Festival? Nope. Kanto Grand Festival? Nope. Johto Grand Festival? Forget it. May didn't even come close to winning.

The two had been wandering across the vast forest of Kalos for a while now, and they were searching for pokéblock. Not just any pokéblock, what they sought was a rare specimen which could instantly revitalise the battling spirit of any pokémon. Well, if you believed in the stories anyway.

Unfortunately, the forests of Kalos were a lot less appealing than May had imagined. The once evergreen grassland was now littered with humongous roots that glowed an eerie shade of red, as if they once had lives of their own. The sky had a sinister tinge of crimson instead of the clear blue that May would have liked, and there was no sign of life except for the sound of the occasional Rattata scurrying desperately away from humans.

May glanced at her surroundings. There was nothing but heavily eroded soil and dried up figs, certainly not the ideal conditions for growing berries.

"I wonder-" May opened her mouth, but she was abruptly interrupted by a clear, ringing voice.

"This place is not safe. You must leave at once!" The voice rang with an air of dominance, and it echoed throughout the entire forest. May looked around in an attempt to the locate the source, but it seemed to be omnipresent.

On the other hand, Solidad recognised the phenomena immediately. After all, she was the more experienced coordinator. "That's telepathy," she muttered. "I wonder who is trying to communicate with us."

Right as she finished her sentence, the ground gave way as a single root sprouted from beneath the earth. This one was different: the tinge of red on the surface seemed darker than the rest, and a sinister aura radiated from its contorted body.

May realised that it was moving; it writhed around like a headless chicken searching for food. Beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable, she slowly backed away from the figure. This proved to be a mistake. The moment she took a single step, it lunged at her like a mindless zombie. Instinctively Solidad reached for her pocket, and her Pidgeot materialised in a flash.

"Pidgeot, Aerial Ace!" she ordered. " _Pidgeot!_ " The avian dive-bombed fearlessly between the two and intercepted the threat with his powerful wings. There was a brief stalemate as Pidgeot struggled against the tree-sized root, but he mustered the strength to overpower it and sent the root flying into the air.

It landed on the hard ground with an audible thud. May remained on the ground, petrified as the root lay motionless before her eyes. There was a wretched gurgling noise, and it began to shrivel up on its own. The red tint gradually disappeared from its surface before being engulfed by the earth completely.

May heaved a sign of relief. What in the world was that? She came here for a nice stroll in the park, perhaps picking up a berry or two along the way. She didn't ask for evil monstrous roots who spent their lives hunting down humans for fun.

She wanted to tell herself that the frenzy root was merely an anomaly, that the others lay still like normal plants. However, she would also be lying to herself. Moments later, five or six identical roots simultaneously erupted around the pair, as if being alerted by their presence. Two of them quickly wrapped themselves around Pidgeot, immobilising the bird with an ironclad grip.

"Pidgeot!" Solidad cried. She wanted to run towards her trusted partner, but refrained herself from doing so. Years of experience in contests had taught her how to recognise situations which were simply too dangerous, and this was one of them.

"Geottooo!" Pidgeot returned the cry with a signal for help, as he squirmed and writhed around to no avail. One root latched firmly onto each of the avian's limbs, while another held his body in an inescapable choking position. With the only threat out of action, the rest of the roots turned and faced the two defenceless girls.

May turned and began to run, willing her tiny legs to carry her as far as they could. Unfortunately, the ground had become uneven due to the eroded soil, and her foot was caught in a gap. May tripped, falling face first into the cold, hard soil.

"May!" Solidad turned back and began to make her way towards her friend, but she knew that it was already too late. Solidad was a good twenty feet away from the girl, while the roots were already towering over her fragile body.

May froze in fear, her eyes fixated at the menacing roots which showed no intention of backing away. This was it. May placed her arms over her head in a futile attempt to stop the attack, but it never came.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a flash of blue streak across her vision. Too fast for the human eye to follow, May could only catch a blurred motion as it shot past her like a bullet, heading straight into the mass of vines.

A second of complete silence ensued as the figure disappeared, seemingly engulfed completely by the mass of roots. A moment later, small tremors could be felt from within, gradually increasing in magnitude until it grew into a significant rumble. The vines itself began to tremble vigorously, as if trying hard to suppress whatever lay inside.

They couldn't contain it any more. A flash of blue emerged from the pit of darkness, bursting into the sky as the figure emerged completely unscathed at the other end. It landed on the ground in a crouching pose, as every single root behind it was simultaneously sliced in half.

The figure stood in front of May, who managed to take a good look at the mysterious creature for the first time. It looked like a pokemon, humanoid in shape while resembling an amphibian at the same time. The pose it took was one of an experienced warrior, and in it's right hand lay what seemed to be a shuriken made out of pure liquid water.

"Um... Thank you." May stammered. She was still lying on the ground, attempting to process the bizarre events that had just unfolded. The creature grunted. It awkwardly held out its hand to help her up, to which May gratefully accepted. She stood upright and proceeded to wipe the dirt off her shorts.

Solidad's eyes narrowed as she approached the two. "That's a Greninja," she said warily, "the final stage evolution of one of the starters in Kalos. But this one's... different."

She fumbled through her jacket and brought out a pokédex before handing it to May. Dexter sprung to life upon contact, speaking in his usual robotic voice. "Greninja. The final evolution of Froakie. It creates throwing stars out of compressed water. When it spins and throws them at high speed, these stars can split metal in two."

May shut the pokédex and stared at the pokémon. Solidad was right. This Greninja was different.

It's legs seemed bigger and more muscular than the one in Solidad's pokédex. There was a red pattern on the top of it's head, and it's ears were black instead of blue. May heard the sound of the moisture in air condensing, and in an instant another water shuriken materialised on it's back to form a perfect "X".

" _Ninja._ " The pokemon waved his hand, gesturing for May and Solidad to follow him. The girls quickly glanced at each other, contemplating whether to follow the weird frog or get crushed alive by evil tree roots. The former seemed like a more plausible option, so they nodded at Greninja in compliance.

"So much for coming all the way here to find pokéblock." May grumbled under her breath. Solidad ignored her. The younger coordinator still had a long way to go.

They began to travel through the forest as inconspicuously as possible. Greninja took the lead; he would leap from cover to cover, scouting each area thoroughly before signalling for May and Solidad to follow suit. The way he moved reminded May of a stealthy ninja: he barely made contact with the ground as he skipped across with finesse, and moved with such elegance that not a single sound could be heard.

Suddenly, Greninja stopped dead in his tracks. His ears twitched ever so slightly, as if sensing danger. May stopped moving as well, and scanned her surroundings in caution. Although they only made a minimal amount of noise, May had a feeling that they were being watched, as if the forest had a conscience of its own. She was right.

A noticeable rumbling could be heard from afar, and May knew that a wave of roots were heading straight towards their location. She was sure of it, she recognised the eerie noise as they moved ruggedly under the earth, the terrifying feeling of the ground breaking apart right under her feet.

They could see it now: the horde of wild vines rampaging across the forest, tearing down everything in it's path. There were even more of them this time, and May couldn't imagine how they would possibly escape in one piece. Her arms trembling with fear, May managed to fish out a pokéball from her fanny pack. She was prepared to throw it in a last ditch attempt, although she wasn't too confident. After all, they had all seen what happened to Solidad's Pidgeot.

It was now or never. May strained her arm, about to throw the pokéball when Greninja stopped her. He gave a May a reassuring nod before turning around and facing the incoming horde.

The strange frog reached for it's back and pulled out a shuriken, like an expert archer reaching for an arrow. Taking in a deep breath and holding it up in the sky, he brought the Shuriken crashing down into the ground with a mighty thud.

The ground cracked open under the sheer force of the impact, sending a mixture of debris and water soaring into the air. The resulting fissure ran along the length of the ground, heading straight towards the incoming mob. A stream of water bubbled across the surface, ready to be unleashed at any moment.

Two forces of nature were approaching each other with no signs of slowing down. May watched in amazement as the unstoppable stream of water met the impenetrable wall of roots with a deafening explosion, creating a shockwave that rippled across the entire forest.

The pressure built up within the fissure had reached it's limit. Water erupted from the cracks like a powerful geyser, slamming hard into the mass of roots. Despite their impressive bulk, they were no match against the strength of the sea as the towering wave came upon them like a ton of bricks. As the water gradually cleared away, all that remained was a pile of roots which lay motionless on the damp ground.

Without a word, the Greninja turned and grabbed May with one arm, and Solidad with another.

"Hey, wait-" May objected, but it was too late. The Greninja leapt from tree to tree with ease, as if this were it's natural habitat. May nervously gripped onto the amphibian, her vision a blur as they sped across the Kalosian forest.

After what seemed like an eternal roller coaster ride, Greninja decided to that it was a good time to stop. The frog gently lay the girls down on a piece of soft soil, and May opened her eyes. They were in some sort of cave which, although rather small, was warm and cozy as if it were someone's home. The entrance was decorated with a row of beautiful flowers. There was a simple bed made from soft hay, while in the middle of the cave lay a piece of perfectly carved stone, presumably meant to be a dinner table.

"Wow." May looked around in awe. "Did you make this all by yourself?"

" _Gren._ " The frog proudly puffed out his chest, evidently pleased by May's compliment.

May turned around and rubbed her eyes. Perhaps she was hallucinating, but somehow the Greninja no longer looked different. In fact, it looked identical to the pokédex image right now. _How did the Greninja change its appearance? Why were his ears black instead of blue? Was that real, or was she just imagining things?_ May's mind was bursting with questions to ask, but she decided to not pursue the topic further for now.

Greninja motioned for May and Solidad to stay put, before crawling through a small hole that appeared to lead to the surface. May wanted to follow suit, but realised that it was better if she remained in the cave. After all, she would be nothing but a burden to the frog, and how could she possibly expect Greninja to risk his life for her a second time?

Fortunately, he didn't take long. Greninja returned minutes later with a handful of freshly picked berries. " _Gren._ " The frog carefully rationed the spoils out between the three. He plopped himself down in a corner, and began to happily devour his portion.

"That's very nice of you." May beamed at Greninja. There was a warm feeling inside her, for she rarely came across a pokémon with such a good heart. Complying with Greninja's wish, She nibbled at one of the berries. It was bursting with flavour, fresh and natural with a unique taste.

"Mhmmm!" she exclaimed in pleasure.

May glanced at Greninja, who was cheerily helping himself to more berries.

The frog seemed to be treasuring every moment of their company, as if they were some sort of precious jewellery. May wondered why he was in such a deserted and lonely place. She could see from his eyes how their mere presence, how a simple act such as eating together meant so much for him. Greninja longed company. He longed for someone who could take care of him, and love him like a trainer.

"Um, mister Greninja?" May asked, not sure how to address him. Greninja shot up instantly, eager to answer whatever question May had in mind. She chose her words carefully. "Why are you risking your life here to help people like us? That's a very noble thing to do, but I'm sure any trainer would be delighted to have you as their partner."

Greninja's face darkened. He looked past May and stared blankly into space, but May could see his webbed fingers trembling.

"What's wrong?" May asked nervously. "Did I say something wrong?" She glanced at Solidad, who responded with a shrug.

The frog remained silent as it made it's way across the room, crouching down before a particular piece of soil that seemed softer than the rest. May and Solidad watched curiously as it dug out what seemed to be a crumpled, dusty old photograph. There was the frog, but he was also alongside a boy. They were both smiling. The boy had wrapped an arm around Greninja's shoulder as both of them pointed triumphant V-signs towards the camera.

May and Solidad both gasped. That boy was Ash.

A single tear strolled onto the frog's cheek and landed onto the already tattered photograph, as the image continued to shake under his trembling hands.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for the kind reviews. I'm sorry that there's not much advance shipping yet, since I'm trying to write the build-up towards the main story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

May couldn't believe her own eyes. After their journey, her and Ash seemed to be worlds apart. Their paths diverged as one strived to become a Pokemon master, the other a top coordinator. But somehow, in the middle of a deserted Kalosian forest, she felt that their worlds had crossed paths once again. Right in front of her lay a part of her life that she had long left behind.

"Did you... know Ash?" May asked in a hushed tone, careful not to startle the frog. She was aware of that fact that Greninja was in an emotionally unstable state. The frog nodded half-heartedly, but his eyes remained fixated on the photograph gripped tightly between its fingers.

May was trying hard to contain her excitement. What started out as an ordinary pokéblock expedition had miraculously led towards them meeting a most fascinating pokémon, and a link to an old friend. It wasn't every day that May got to experience something this exciting. Her current life consisted of a endless cycle of training, eating and competing.

"Ash doesn't seem like the type of trainer who would simply abandon his pokémon." Solidad remarked. May agreed as well. It certainly did seem strange that Ash would do that. He was someone who treated his pokémon with the utmost respect.

May's mind drifted into the past, back to the first day that they had met. She was all riled up and ready to confront Ash for frying her bike, but as soon as May peeked through the door, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Slumped into a chair was the raven-haired boy, sound asleep from keeping his Pikachu company all night. He rested his head softly on the side of the bed, while his Pikachu smuggled cozily against his warm cheeks. A small ray of sunshine crept past the curtains and landed softly onto the pair, and they looked majestically peaceful under the golden sun.

Smiling, she carefully shut the door behind her and quietly tiptoed away. May could almost feel the unbreakable bond between Ash and his Pikachu, built upon trust and hardship with each other. _Perhaps pokémon weren't that bad after all_ , she thought to herself.

"Correct."

May jumped, startled as her train of thought was interrupted. Wait a moment, it was that voice! It was the same voice that warned her to leave the forest, the same voice who coincidentally spoke to her moments before they were attacked.

May's initial reaction was caution. Was it a friend or foe? Was it possible that they followed her all the way here to finish the job? Although she was a coordinator, May had seen more than enough battles across her journey, and she wasn't going down without a fight.

Making as little noise as possible, May slowly reached for her fanny pack, her heart beating wildly against her chest. May's fingers softly clasped around the cool plastic ball that lay within. Muscle memory prompted her to press the button that would enlarge the pokéball, but her instincts told her not to. She remembered how the voice seemed to come from everywhere, how it resonated throughout the entire forest. " _That's telepathy,"_ Solidad's words echoed in her mind. And as far as she was concerned, telepathy was a gift reserved for the most extraordinary pokémon.

Silence swept across the entire cave. There was a sense of authority in the way it spoke which suggested that it was not something to be trifled with. Taking a deep breath, May slowly turned her head towards the source of the voice. Her eyes scanned the vicinity before settling onto the middle of the cave. There, perched top of the piece of stone was the speaker, who took the form of...

A green blob.

That's right. It was no bigger than the size of May's palm, and looked more like a squishy toy than a pokémon. It's entire body was lime green except for a crystal-like structure plastered to its belly, and the single, obnoxiously large eye which stared aggresively back into hers.

"Um... Solidad? Is that a pokémon?" May glanced at her friend, who clearly held different opinions on the creature than May did. She was still staring at it with her mouth hanging open.

Solidad gritted her teeth, evidently annoyed at May's ignorance. She turned, and looked May right in the eyes with a straight face. " _That_ is the legendary pokémon Zygarde."

May's head was spinning. First she sees a weird Greninja in the middle of a deserted forest who claims to have known Ash, and now a legendary pokémon appears right before her eyes? She pinched herself on the cheek, just to make sure this wasn't all a dream. It hurt.

"Also correct." The blob replied. "But my friends call me Squishy."

"Squishy, huh? what an interesting name..." May mumbled, but the blob ignored her.

"A few months ago, there was an incident in Kalos. An organisation called Team Flare believed that the world was impure and required cleansing. They were all insane, but one man stood above the rest and called himself their leader, and his name was Lysandre. Lysandre harnessed the power of primal energy in the form of a Megalith, and planned to drive it towards Anistar City. The resulting collision would create an explosion deadly enough to wipe out the entire Kalos region."

"I do remember this." Solidad recalled. "The attack on Lumiose City." _Wiping out the entire Kalos region?_ May nodded as if she too were an expert on the matter, although she had no idea what Solidad was talking about. May made a mental note to herself; she really needed to read the news more often.

"Lysandre was stopped by the efforts of a valiant group of humans, who defended the Kalos region with their lives. One of those humans also happens to know _you_." Zygarde added, looking directly at May.

May realised who Squishy was talking about. "Oh, Ash..." she thought in her head. Could Ash possibly be connected to all of this? She knew that the boy had a knack of getting himself into trouble, but deep inside, May was always concerned for his safety.

"Yes," Squishy continued. "After the Megalith had been defeated, we thought that would be the end. Alas, the remaining negative energy contained within the giant stone is now scattered around Kalos, and this place remains unsafe until the day they are destroyed completely."

"So that's what those roots were," Solidad realised. "The remnants of the Megalith."

"What you have seen today is merely a small proportion of the problem. There are many more areas in Kalos riddled with these roots, and pokémon continue to live in fear because of this. The vines are like a disease. You cut off one head, and two more pop up immediately. We have to find the source of this negative energy, and destroy it from within." Squishy sighed. Even a legendary pokémon has its limits sometimes.

The green blob stared into the sky. "The truth is, we sought the help of Ash's Greninja because he was born with a special gift - he could locate the negative energy when we could not. Greninja agreed, even if it meant parting ways with his trainer. I promised the boy that we would take great care of him until the day they met again."

May suddenly felt a pang of sympathy towards Greninja. He came to this deserted place on his own accord, cleaning up the mess that others had created just to protect Kalos. It was truly an act of selflessness, a deed that deserved respect.

"I know how you feel now," May smiled at the frog. "You must be longing to travel the world. To fight in battles. To be alongside Ash and his pokémon again, don't you?"

" _Ninja."_ The frog pumped his fist in the air in confirmation, and for a fleeting moment May saw the determination in his eyes that belonged to his trainer. He was waiting patiently for that one day when his job would be done, the day when he would be free to roam the earth again.

"But that's not all." Squishy continued his speech. "The strange ability this Greninja possesses is tied to something even more mysterious. The deep bond between Greninja and Ash allows him to take on a temporary form in battle that surpasses his final stage."

"Mega-evolution..." May mused. She reached down her shirt and felt the locket that hung around her neck, pressing it tightly against her chest.

"No." Squishy corrected. "The bond between them was so powerful that the transformation required neither a mega stone nor a key stone. It was not mega-evolution. Rather, it was the true merging of the mind's of both trainer and pokémon. Their pain is shared by one another, as are their emotions. Ash became Greninja, and Greninja became Ash."

Solidad's face was difficult to read. She remained silent as she glanced at the frog once more, who stood indifferently in the corner. Surely this wasn't possible. The energy released by mega-evolution came from the mega stone itself, while the key stone was essential for connecting the hearts of trainer and pokémon. Then again, she did see Greninja in a different form with Ash nowhere to be found...

Squishy turned and faced Greninja, as if he had read Solidad's mind. Their eyes met, and the frog nodded.

"Nin... Jaaaaaaa!" The frog channeled energy through its voice as water erupted out of nowhere, engulfing the frog in a swirling vortex of liquid. His ears began to stretch and darken, while spiky structures protruded forcefully from the side of his head. His "fin" began to elongate and produce a delicate pattern of red intertwined with blue.

The vortex broke into ribbons of water which danced elegantly in mid-air as an orb of concentrated liquid began to materialise on his back. An audible "Ka-Ching" was heard as the ribbons of water were gradually sucked into the orb, finally condensing to produce a perfect X-shaped water shuriken.

"Incredible..." Solidad marvelled. In all her years of experience as a coordinator, she had never encountered anything like this before.

The veil of water had completely unravelled to reveal the final product, who stood before May with his arms crossed in a defiant pose. She couldn't help but smile, a transformation like that would certainly score top marks at any contest.

As May took a closer look at the pokémon who had saved her life, what Squishy meant finally dawned on her. The spiky structures on top of Greninja's head in a way resembled Ash's messy mane of hair. May chuckled silently as she remembered the cute little "z" marks that rested on Ash's cheeks, which were incorporated into Greninja as lightning shaped symbols next to his eyes. It was as if the two had truly merged into one.

May felt a warm feeling sweep over her body, as if something had rekindled her spirit once again.

Was this the true power of the bond between trainer and Pokémon? Ash's Greninja was proof that the potential of Pokémon were limitless. She thought about her own Pokémon: Blaiziken, Venusaur, Munchlax, Beautifly, Skitty, Glaceon and Wartortle. Just how far could _she_ go with her own pokémon? There was a lot more in this world for her to learn, and a steep mountain for her to climb, but May was determined to become the best coordinator the world had ever seen.

* * *

 **Another thing: Should I write longer chapters but update less often?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for the critical reviews. I take every bit of advice you guys give seriously, so don't worry.**

 **I rewrote the first chapter because I felt that it was a bit rushed, so give it a read if you want to (the plot is identical so it isn't necessary)**

 **Also, please do drop by a review if you enjoyed the chapter. Anything in particular that you liked, anything that I should improve on is greatly appreciated, since I am trying to improve my writing skills.**

* * *

 **Hoenn, 6 months later:**

Oddly enough, the events in that cave were never mentioned again. It was as if May and Solidad had made some sort of silent pact to not bring it up, but neither of them felt the need to anyway. They both simply went on with their lives as if nothing had happened, and as far as everybody was concerned it was just one failed pokéblock expedition.

However, that didn't prevent the incident from being stuck in May's mind ever since. The mysterious Greninja, the legendary Zygarde, Ash. Those encounters meant something to her, May was sure of it. It was as if a part of her had been awakened, a part of her long forgotten in the past.

When the ship set sail with Ash and Brock gradually disappearing over the horizon, May bid her final farewells to her friends. She did so rather cheerily, as it never really occurred to her how valuable their travels together were.

Sure, May missed her friends, but she also knew that everyone - Ash, Brock and Max - had their own path to follow, their own dream to fight for. It was inevitable that some day, their journey would reach a point where they would each go their own way, marching gloriously towards the bright future that lay ahead for all of them.

So May went to Johto for a new adventure with new friends. Solidad, Harley, and Drew. She lived an ordinary life: Waking up in a nice soft bed, practicing combinations, participating in contests, having dinner at a proper restaurant. Occasionally she would venture on a quest to catch a new pokémon or gather ingredients for pokéblock, but her life remained nevertheless contained within the same, never-ending cycle.

And May had been completely fine with that. Well, at least until now.

What she saw in that cave brought back memories from the past. Her travels with Ash, Brock and Max flashed vividly before her eyes.

Birch's Lab. Gyms. Contests. Team Magma. Team Aqua. The Hoenn League. The Grand Festival. The Battle Frontier.

Those were the times where May felt the thrill of adventure coursing through her veins, the passion for travel running through her blood.

It were the small pleasures of life which made their journey so special, which May had completely taken for granted when she left the group. Only now did she realise what she had been missing all along.

Cuddling into her comfy sleeping bag at night. Waking up to the smell of Brock's cooking. Camping next to the bonfire after getting lost in the woods. Seeing different pokémon all over the Hoenn Region. Meeting new people across their journey, each with their own unique story to tell.

And there was Ash. There was something inexplicable, indescribable about that boy which made May cherish every single moment they spent together. Perhaps it was the inextinguishable fire in his eyes. Or it was his unconditional love of pokémon. Or his unrivalled passion in battling.

She couldn't tell why, but with Ash around every day felt like a brand new adventure. The possibilities were endless; they would stop evil organisations trying to take over the world, befriend and battle alongside legendary pokémon, somehow end up in the most bizarre locations of the pokémon universe, and barely make it out alive. And May absolutely loved it.

There were the peaceful moments as well, the times where Ash and May would sit in silence, appreciating the beauty nature had to offer. They watched the blue sky, the funny clouds, the green trees. There were no distractions, no conflicts or battles or crowds, only the gentle rustling of the wind and the soft chirping from the native Tailow.

May enjoyed the times where they would talk enthusiastically about their next contest, their next gym battle. How they would conquer their respective challenges and strive to become the very best, like no one ever was. They would compete to see who could consume the most food in one sitting, while Max and Brock watched from the sidelines in exasperation.

Even the occasional bickering between the two weren't too bad after all. May smiled dreamily, remembering the time when two love fanatics accused them of being a couple, to which they instantly denied. But no matter how angry they were with each other, at the end of the day they would always make it up and become friends all over again.

"Um... May? You're blushing."

May was snapped back into reality by the familiar, annoying voice of her brother.

She was in a contest hall. The ever present roar of the crowd filled her ears as a new contestant entered the stage, ready to display her talents to the whole wide world.

Next to May sat her brother, eyeing her with his know-it-all expression. Drew sat in the row behind her, an infuriating smirk plastered across his face like always. Solidad was there too, sitting calmly at the back, unfazed by all the childish drama. Harley was sulking in the corner with his fists clenched in rage, presumably having been knocked out or disqualified for cheating.

"Hellooo," Max waved his hand across her face. "Really sis, whoever you are thinking about must be real cute."

"What -" May's cheeks flushed pink. "I wasn't - Gosh, you are so annoying sometimes!" She spluttered, but Max merely shrugged, a cheeky grin on his face as he returned to watch the contest.

May wanted to strangle her brother so badly, but she knew that they were in a contest hall, and refrained herself from making a scene. Trying her best not to let her anger get the better of her, May decided to divert her attention and concentrate on the ongoing contest instead.

The coordinator on stage appeared to be around her age; she had blue eyes and short, blonde hair that fell smoothly down to her neck. She wore a fashionable velvet gown draped around a pink skirt, while a matching hat perched nicely on top of her head. There was a soft, blue ribbon tied to her collar. May couldn't quite catch her name, but murmurs amongst the crowd suggested that this was her very first contest, so she was a beginner.

 _Hey, this is going to be interesting._ May always enjoyed watching new coordinators; they tended to put on an unorthodox and interesting show regardless of whether they advanced or not.

On the other hand, a lot of seasoned coordinators preferred the textbook strategies which although did get them past the appeal stages, were completely unoriginal and boring to watch. Is this girl going to catch the judge's attention? _Who knows?_ May thought, as she adjusted her position to get a better view onto the stage.

Silence swept across the entire hall as the audience eagerly awaited for this newcomer to start the show. The girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Go, Sylveon!" She threw her pokéball straight up in the air, and the feline materialised in a flash of blinding light.

May watched in curiosity as the fairy pokémon lowered herself from the sky. Her feelers swirled around in mid-air like a dancing ballerina, at the same time spinning and slowing her descent like a parachute.

The contest hall was encased by a glass ceiling, and the golden rays of sunlight combined with it's graceful body structure truly gave the impression of a holistic angel descending from the sky. The crowd erupted with applause, showing their encouragements towards this new coordinator.

The judges were equally impressed. "Now that's one way to introduce yourself to the world of contests!" Vivian announced, trying hard not to be drowned out by the sea of applause that immediately followed suit.

"May, she's way better than you when you first tried out." May didn't even need to turn around, she already knew that was Drew.

Fuming, May was about to give an intelligent comeback, but Solidad beat her to it. "Now, now, Drew." She said. "You wouldn't want us to remind you of your first contest, would you?"

May laughed, remembering that Drew's first contest had ended in tears following a disastrous defeat to Solidad. Drew also realised that this argument wasn't going his way, and promptly retreated into his own seat in silence. Bathing in victory, May turned back towards the stage.

The girl gave the crowd a polite smile, evidently pleased that her first impression seemed to be a success. However, the performance was far from over.

"Sylveon, Double team!" She ordered. _"Sylveee-"_ The feline sang in a soothing tone as clones began to materialise one by one, spreading out to form a perfect circle. Each Sylveon had their feelers intertwined with an adjacent clone, as if they were holding hands with one another.

The girl waited until all the clones had locked feelers with each other. "Now, use Swift!"

"-eon!" With a cry and a flick of their tails, each Sylveon let loose a barrage of stars towards the sky. The multitude of swifts enhanced by the effects of double team converged in the air to form one big shining star, illuminating the sky with a dazzling glow.

The massive star continued to increase in size, fueled by the continuous supply of attacks from the army of Sylveon. The hall began to dim as it began to cover a significant portion of the ceiling, and the girl decided that it was time to finish up her act.

"Sylveon!" She glanced at her partner, who nodded confidently as if she knew exactly what to do.

Sylveon gave off a cry, and the clones abruptly disappeared into thin air as the barrage of swifts ended in unison. The feline drooped her cream-coloured head in a slick motion, and the giant star came crashing down at her command.

The audience watched in suspense as the sea of stars approached the single Sylveon, who stood with her head held high in the middle of the stage. The star was coming closer and closer, by this point it had almost engulfed the entire pokémon. Sylveon didn't move a muscle, and her trainer watched intently without giving a command.

"Protect!" The girl ordered, just as the feline disappeared completely amidst the mass of circling stars. _"Veeee-onnnn"_ Out came an angelic cry as a speck of green emerged from the sea of yellow. The speck grew into a perfect sphere, revealing the silhouette of the beautiful feline contained within.

May was genuinely impressed. The defiant pose Sylveon held, along with the aura of green that enveloped her body truly made her stand out against the sea of yellow stars. This girl knew how to make her pokémon shine all right.

The green sphere of energy held it's ground as millions of stars came crashing in. Each star was annihilated upon impact, creating a cluster of golden dust which launched into the sky before raining down onto the entire stage. Sylveon emerged in a glorious pose with the green aura fading from her body, while tiny specks of dust fell onto her like confetti.

The girl bowed her head to signal the end of her performance, as did her Sylveon. Unanimous applause rang throughout the entire hall, and May joined in with pleasure. Although there were still flaws within her performance, it was undoubtedly one of the best shows May had seen from a new coordinator.

The excited Sylveon leapt into her trainer's arms, purring affectionately as she gently patted her back in congratulations. The girl nervously glanced towards the panel, where all three judges were ready to present their scores. The familiar billboards went up simultaneously, revealing the moment of truth:

8.5 - 8.5 - 9.0

A quick tally added them up to 26, a respectable score for a new contestant. The girl seemed to be satisfied as well; she returned her Sylveon into a pokéball and headed towards the Coordinator's dressing room.

The performance had caught Solidad's attention. "That girl's got a talent," she said, her eyes still fixed on the girl as she gradually disappeared from sight. "It's almost as if this isn't her first contest. She knew how to grab the crowds attention right from the very beginning."

"I've gotta admit, she's not half bad. The way her Sylveon spiralled onto the ground - for a second, I thought it was an angel descending from heaven." Drew put his thoughts on the matter as well, albeit rather grudgingly. After all these years, his ego remained as big as ever.

"The last part was an amateur mistake though," he added, returning to his normal self. "By allowing her Sylveon to be completely surrounded by that swift, that rookie missed an opportunity to show off her cute little Sylveon to the judges. Ah well, no one can be as perfect as me, can they?" Drew shrugged, finishing his evaluation with a tinge of cockiness to his voice.

May frowned. "That's not very nice. She and her Pokémon must have worked really hard for this." Drew gave her a signature flick of his hair in response, knowing that he would eventually wind her up.

Before this could turn into another argument, Max broke in. "Look!" he said excitedly, pointing at the judge's panel. "They're about to announce the second round contestants!"

Vivian was indeed holding her microphone. "That's the last performance of the appeals stage, folks! And... these eight lucky contestants will be moving on to the second round!" she announced in style, pointing towards the screen as the faces of eight coordinators materialised on screen.

"Yay, I made it!" May cheered as her face appeared on the screen amidst several random coordinators. The face of the blonde girl appeared on the very last slot.

"Look, the rookie made it through!" Drew remarked, completely ignoring that May had passed into the second stage. Him and Solidad were sitting out of this contest, since they were both fairly ahead in terms of ribbons. Harley didn't make it through the appeals stage, but from the look on his face he already knew that.

"The contestants will now be randomly chosen to see who they will be facing in battle," Vivian continued, as the computer began to shuffle their faces all over the screen, before matching the coordinators into pairs. "And... here are the matchups for the quarter finals of this contest!"

May looked at the screen. She was facing the blonde coordinator.

"Good luck out there honey!" Harley had finally broken from his silence, and plopped himself down on the empty seat next to May. He had his usual deceiving smile on his face, but quickly showed his true colours as he creepily drooped down and whispered in her ear, "You know that was a lie. I hope you lose so badly that you wish you'd never became a coordinator in the first place!" Harley screamed like a maniac, before turning around and strolling towards the exit with his hips swaying from side to side.

However, May didn't care. She couldn't wait for the second round, and she was certain about one thing: the battle would be a ton of fun!


	4. Chapter 4

**This is a long chapter, but it seems to be more enjoyable when read together. I think I might start writing chapters like this, longer but update less frequently.**

 **Regardless, here it is! I honestly take all constructive criticism seriously, and I've tried to make this chapter more interesting with less thoughts, more action and dialogue.**

* * *

The contest stadium was bursting with anticipation as the crowd eagerly awaited for the second stage to commence. Two coordinators were pitched against each other in opposite ends of the battlefield, both of them holding fierce expressions on their faces. One of them was a brunette with a red bandanna tied onto her head, the other a blonde with a pink hat on top of hers.

"On the left we have May from Petalburg city!" Vivian introduced the coordinators by tradition, but there was no need to. May had already made a name for herself from her performance in the Hoenn Grand Festival, and she was a well-respected figure within the coordinating community. Nevertheless, her popularity was reflected by the deafening roar that erupted from the crowd.

May merrily waved back at the audience, but the smile soon faded from her face as she turned back to her opponent. After all, this was a competition, and May wanted to win.

"On the right we have a new coordinator, Serena from Vaniville town!" The spotlight focused on the blonde girl, who gave a polite bow of her head in return. An equally loud cheer erupted for the newcomer. The underdog was always root-able, and the audience wanted to see more from the girl who took the appeal stages by storm.

May adjusted her bandanna as she went into battle mode. After travelling through multiple regions, the pressure from large crowds no longer fazed her. May learned that by putting her focus on what was in front of her eyes, the daunting audience would gradually fade into the background.

However, her opponent wasn't as experienced as May was. She certainly didn't have the same air of confidence demonstrated in the appeal stages, which she manoeuvred through with ease. The expression on her face was one that May recognised too well; it was the same smile she put on to mask her fear when she debuted as a coordinator.

May could sense her anxiety in an instant. As a veteran in the field, it was her duty to support those who were new to the world of contests - and opponents were no exception.

"You'll do just fine," she gave the blonde girl an encouraging smile. "Come on, let's show the audience what a real contest battle looks like!"

Serena seemed to regain a little confidence upon hearing May's words, but she still wasn't entirely convinced. "Thanks. I guess I'll just have to do my best then."

"Go, Braixen!" She launched her pokéball with a determined expression on her face, and the fox-like pokémon burst out in style. Braixen leapt into the air, twirling her branch like a magician as red-hot flames erupted from the tip. She landed gracefully on the ground with a trail of fire behind her, and bowed her head towards the infatuated audience.

"And once again, Serena delivers an extravagant entrance with her Braixen, showing us how beautiful a pokémon can be!" Marian chuckled, as Braixen brandished her branch like a wand.

 _She sure knows how to put up a show,_ May thought. _But then again, so do I._

"Beautifly, take the stage!" May spun on her heels in one fluid motion, before gently tossing her pokéball into air.

 _"Beauuuutifly!"_ The butterfly burst into action with a cry of admission and a radiance of beauty. Spreading his majestic wings like an eagle, he soared around the stadium as the crowd marvelled at his breathtaking appearance. The butterfly pokémon returned and perched on his trainers shoulder, and the two of them faced the audience in a defiant pose.

 _Well, let's see what she can do._ May smiled confidently. She was going to enjoy this for sure.

"Beautifly, use Silver Wind!" May commenced the battle with a light appetiser, trying to get a feel of her opponent's battling style. The first exchange of moves were crucial to success, and she had learnt that from Ash himself.

" _May, pay close attention to the first move."_ Ash's words rung clearly in her mind. _"If you look carefully enough, you can find out more things about your opponent than you can imagine. He could be_ _aggressive, someone who tries to overwhelm you with constant attacks. Or he could be passive and laid back, waiting patiently for you to make your move before countering specifically. It helps me a lot in battles, and I'm sure it works in contests as well."_

Beautifly obliged immediately; he took off from May's shoulder before beating his wings in rapid succession. The pressure generated powerful air currents which swept across the battlefield, heading towards Braixen in a blur of white and silver.

"Use Flamethrower!" Serena countered instantly. This was her first contest, and she wanted to play her first move safe.

" _Braixen Braix!_ " The fox pokémon nodded in accordance. She calmly pointed her branch at the incoming gust, and a thread of flames shot out from the tip. The flames were neutralised the silvery gust upon impact, dissipating into ashes which scattered harmlessly into the air.

Serena saw an opening, and took advantage of it immediately. "Use Scratch!" Braixen leapt into the air using her agile feet as a springboard, spinning gracefully as she encased herself within the veil of residue fire particles still suspended in mid-air. When she emerged from the cloud, her paws were shrouded in red-hot flames.

"Incredible!" Vivian exclaimed. "Braixen has powered up her scratch attack with a stunning combination! Talk about taking advantage of your own type." The audience were no less than mesmerised. Gasps of surprise emerged throughout the stands as Braixen raised her paw, revealing the set of razor-sharp claws concealed beneath.

Braixen swung her flre-encased paws at the unsuspecting butterfly in two vicious strikes, sending Beautifly tumbling backwards in pain. A chunk of May's points disappeared from the scoreboard.

"Are you okay?" May was worried for a second, but Beautifly's fighting spirit was exhibited as he was back into the air in no time. "Alright then, use Aerial Ace!" She chose to battle close-quarters, for Braixen seemed to excel at the long range game.

However, Serena was having none of it. "Hidden Power!" She countered accordingly.

"Braiiixen!" Three blue orbs of energy materialised in front of the fox pokémon. With a flick of her branch, she sent them flying towards the airborne butterfly like a barrage of homing missiles.

"Dodge it!" May cried. Beautifly was agile; he sidestepped the first two as they sailed harmlessly past his head, but the third orb landed right on his chest. Beautifly lost balance and crashed clumsily into the ground, and May's points went down yet again.

May gritted her teeth. She was good. Too good at showing off her pokémon's beauty.

 _I'm going to have to try something else._ She thought.

"Beautifly, use String Shot then Psychic!" May unleashed one of her trademark combinations.

The butterfly pokémon spit a condensed ball of string towards the sky, before unravelling itself into a long thread. Serena could barely see what was going on, for the piece of string was cleverly hovering in line with the scorching sun. Taking advantage of the weather was a classic tactic, for it gave the opponent substantially less time to respond.

Beautifly's eyes glowed blue. A mysterious aura surrounded the piece of string as if possessed by a spirit, and it shot towards Braixen in the blink of an eye.

Serena's eyes widened. By the time she saw the thread of string emerge from the blinding sunlight, it was too late. Braixen was caught off-guard; her branch was hanging limply by her side, and there was no time to launch a counterattack.

"Braixen, dodge it!" she cried. Her partner was quick to the command as she manoeuvred to the side, but this was no ordinary string shot. The psychic attack had boosted it's speed, and it caught the edge of Braixen's foot. The piece of string stuck to the ground in a stubborn fashion, refusing to budge at Braixen's subpar physical strength. "Get out of there!" Serena was panicking now, and her fear was exhibited in her Pokémon as well.

"Braixen Braix!" The fox Pokémon responded. She was clearly distressed by the piece of string lodged around her ankle, as if it had ruined her appearance.

Swinging her arm around wildly, Braixen pointed the branch towards her ankle and let loose a thread of flames. The strings incinerated on impact, but the attack on herself had also caused her pretty feet to be charred with fire. Serena's points took a slight dive, albeit she was still above May.

 _That's it_. A sudden sense of realisation dawned on May. She had discovered her opponent's weakness.

Serena might be good at at bringing out her Pokémon's beauty, at winning the crowd's approval. Heck, she might even be better than May in those departments, but there was one thing that she lacked.

She was not a battler. May noticed that Serena panicked under pressure, and her Pokémon didn't like to get dirty. The catch in contests was that there were two aspects of it, and a coordinator had to be competent at both.

On the contrary, May was a competent battler, and her Pokémon were more than willing to put their paws into the mud for a victory.

Throughout her travels across the Hoenn region, May had seen many battles. She accompanied Ash during his badge quest, watched the entirety of the Evergrande Conference, even witnessed the notorious Battle Frontier.

Although May wasn't a participant herself, she wasn't a cheerleader either. While the others watched battles purely for entertainment, May did not waste a second of her time. Instead, she analysed every battle carefully and tried to learn something from it.

At first she focused on the basics: type advantages, countering moves, paying attention to fatigue. As May watched more and more battles, she began to pick up the small details, the ones nobody would notice unless they were looking carefully. When to counter, when to dodge, and when to take the hit. Using the environment to your advantage. Playing mind games with the opponent.

May realised that battles and contests were not mutually exclusive. There were interchangeable skills, and she began to implement Ash's battling style into her own. Unfortunately, she was trying to imitate Ash too much in the Kanto Grand Festival, and Solidad exploited her aggressiveness. Her initial strategy backfired, but May wasn't going to give up.

Ever since, she had been trying to strike the perfect balance. A style which combined her dazzling combinations with Ash's relentless attacks, overwhelming the opponent with pressure before they could even respond.

And she was going to win the battle precisely like that.

[Advanced Adventure Instrumental starts playing :P]

"Beautifly, Silver Wind!" May ordered the attack while Braixen was still busy mourning over her charred leg. The distracted pokémon turned around only to feel the full force of the silvery gust as she was thrown into the air, her light body struggling to maintain balance.

"Flamethrower!" Serena countered. Although the fox Pokémon may be light as paper, she certainly wasn't lacking in the agility department. Braixen twisted in mid-air to regain her composure, and launched a powerful blast of fire at Beautifly's direction.

Unfortunately, May was waiting for this. "Now, Psychic!" she said in a confident tone, swinging her arm passionately to imitate the attack.

Once again, Beautifly's eyes glowed blue. The thread of flames were immobilised mid-air, as if being stopped some sort of invisible wall. Braixen upped the intensity as a giant fireball erupted from her branch, but the scorching flames were no match against the powerful Psychic attack. The butterfly pokémon flicked his head upwards, and the flames bent to his will, flying harmlessly into the ceiling.

"Now's our chance, Beautifly! Spin and use Silver Wind!" May cried.

Her wish was his command. Beautifly took a steep dive and began to spin, gaining momentum by the second as he swooped across the battlefield.

"Beauuuutifly!" The butterfly pokémon had morphed into a blur at this point, and let loose fierce waves of gust from his wings. The combination of the two created a silvery tornado which swept across the battlefield, ripping up parts of the ground as it headed straight towards Braixen.

Serena prepared to counterattack as the tornado approached, but it never hit Braixen. Instead, it completely surrounded the fox Pokémon.

Braixen stood still. There was a look of bewilderment in her eyes as she found herself trapped within the "eye" of the tornado, her escape prevented by fierce air currents which swirled around her to form an invisible wall.

"Braixen has been completely immobilised by a devastating Silver Wind attack!" Vivian exclaimed in astonishment. "What will Serena do?"

Serena clenched her fists. May had found her weakness and began to overwhelm her with relentless combination attacks. Beautifly dove straight into the opening created by the Tornado, approaching Braixen in a magnificent blur of silver. Serena began to panic, for she couldn't think clearly when faced with a difficult situation.

"Braixen, use Fire Blast!" In a desperate last ditch attempt, Serena called for Braixen's most powerful attack.

Braixen took aim and unleashed a fiery body of flames from the tip of her branch. It advanced towards the butterfly in a menacing stance, each of the five pillars burning with ferocity.

However, that wasn't enough to save the stranded Braixen.

"Aerial Ace!" May responded.

The butterfly Pokémon broke from the spin and weaved gracefully in between the pillars as if performing in a circus, before focusing his power into one final attack. Leaving the Fire Blast trailing in his wake, Beautifly dive-bombed into the eye of the tornado in a blaze of white light.

Braixen was struck clean in the stomach with unstoppable momentum. She was thrown into the air before landing on the ground with a hard thud. Meanwhile, Beautifly soared away in style, the white light fading from his body.

"Now that's a hit! The clock is ticking down, and Serena is in big trouble here. Can Braixen get up and make a comeback?" Vivian asked.

The fox Pokémon mustered all her strength to force herself up. The collision had left noticeable injury marks on her body, and she was panting heavily. For a moment May thought she would continue to battle, but Braixen's knees buckled, and she dropped to the ground with a crash.

The familiar horn of rejection blared as three distinct crosses appeared on the judge's panel.

"And... it's battle up for Braixen!" Vivian roared. "May and her Beautifly will be advancing to the second stage!"

A gratifying round of applause echoed throughout the stadium. The audience were cheering for both coordinators, for they had been given a gripping battle from start to finish. Serena's valiant efforts had not gone unnoticed; her name could be heard amongst the roar of the crowd.

May glanced at her opponent. She sat on the floor, patting Braixen as she leaned comfortably against her trainer. "Thank you, Braixen. We tried our best, and that's what matters in the end." The blonde girl gave her Pokémon a sad smile. Although she was undoubtedly disappointed, May saw a sense of pride in her eyes that nobody could take away.

 _"Braixen Braix."_ Her partner gave a weak purr of agreement, before shutting her eyes in fatigue. Serena returned the sleeping pokémon to her pokéball, for Braixen had earned a well-deserved rest. Heaving a sigh, Serena looked up, only to find May staring at her with an encouraging smile on her face.

"That was a good battle." May broke the silence. Winning was always a satisfying feeling, but May felt rather guilty at the same time. Her opponent had put up an incredible fight for a beginner.

"Thanks!" The blonde girl seemed to cheer up. "I learned a lot from our battle today. My name's Serena. I'm from the Kalos region."

"Hi, I'm May." The brunette grinned. She held out her hand, and Serena shook it.

"To tell the truth, I never realised how hard contests really were." Serena confessed. "You see, I'm a Pokémon performer myself. Coming to Hoenn was an opportunity to polish my performing skills by competing in contests, but I never realised how difficult the battling aspect could be."

"Don't worry about it," May winked. "You'll get the hang of battling eventually. It all comes with experience." She had confidence in the rookie coordinator, for she demonstrated flashes of talent during their battle that suggested great potential. For one, the idea of utilising residue ashes to power up a scratch attack was impressive to state the least.

"I hope so." Serena chuckled. She was certainly an optimistic one, for most coordinators would not be so cheery after the first taste of defeat. "Well, I won't give up until it's over!" She pumped her fist into the air.

May's heart skipped a beat. Somehow, those words sounded awfully familiar.

" _May,"_ She remembered Ash's words after she had lost her first contest to Drew. " _As long as you don't give up, you'll succeed in the end no matter what!" The boy said optimistically, pumping his fist into the air._

 _May sniffed. "R-really?"_

 _Ash seemed confused. "If you don't try, how can you even succeed?"_

 _"I suppose." May mused, still not entirely convinced._

 _Ash looked her in the eyes with a confident smile. "There is only one way to fail, and that's not giving it all you've got. Pikachu and I won't stop fighting until the very end, and we'll become the number one Pokémon master in the world. Right, buddy?" The boy turned towards the Pikachu perched on his shoulder._

 _"Pika Pika!" The electric rodent pumped his tiny fist into the air in an identical manner to his trainer._

 _Her face was still soaked with tears, but May couldn't help but laugh. The boy was so optimistic, so determined to achieve his goal that the possibility of failure simply didn't occur to him. His mentality on life was just inspirational._

 _"If Ash and Pikachu can do it, so can I." She thought quietly._

Serena frowned at May's blank expression. "Did I say something?"

May quickly regained her composure. "No, no. It's nothing really. You just reminded me of an old friend." she forced a smile, trying to shrug off the topic.

"That's just what Ash used to say." Serena laughed.

Ash.

May refused to believe that it was a coincidence. She hadn't heard that name in months, but it somehow it had found it's way back to her again. First the mysterious Greninja in Kalos, now a contest opponent in Hoenn? It was sure a small world that she lived in.

"Ash... Ketchum? Funny boy from Pallet Town?" May asked, just to be sure.

"Yea. We travelled through the Kalos region together." Serena confirmed.

"Where is he now?" May pressed on, her curiosity peaking again. The boy travelled so much that it was hard to keep track of where he was.

"Last I've heard, he was heading to the Alola region." Serena's eyes narrowed. "Why are you asking me that?" She questioned in an interrogating tone.

May seemed taken aback by the sudden hostility. "Oh, I thought I might pay him a visit. I just haven't seen Ash in a while." she explained.

"I see." Serena replied flatly. The warm, welcoming tone in her voice was no longer present.

There was a brief moment of silence as neither of the girls said anything.

"So... I suppose you know Ash quite well then." May tried to continue the conversation.

"Yeah! He's, err, my boyfriend." Serena covered up with an awkward laugh, but May seemed a little confused.

"Wow. I never knew that Ash was interested in girls." The brunette frowned, trying to contemplate how much Ash could have possibly changed. Could he be a completely different person now?

Serena gulped. "Well- um-," she turned red in embarrassment. "It's a bit complicated." The blonde girl said quietly as she stared at the floor, fidgeting her thumb.

May was starting to get suspicious, but she gave Serena the benefit of the doubt. She did seemed awfully defensive when asked about Ash, and seemed slightly nervous when she spoke. Nevertheless, May was the type who tended to trust people, and she did so in this case.

"Well, it was good fun battling with you," she concluded. "My friends are waiting for me, so I have to go now. In any case, good luck with your next contest!" She gave a polite wave before skipping off towards the dressing room.

"Yea. You too." Serena mumbled, her eyes fixated on the brunette disappearing from the stage.

* * *

Although May won the contest in the end, the thrill of earning a ribbon wasn't as evident this time. In fact, she felt rather indifferent. The brunette spent the rest of her day sitting in silence, contemplating about life in general.

 _The Alola region_. May wasn't too knowledgable about the many regions of the Pokémon world, although her travels had taken her to quite a few. As far as she was concerned, there was Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos and Alola. The first four regions were grouped together into a single, Pangaea-like continent, and she had travelled through every single one of them.

Unova and Kalos were isolated as separate islands, both incredibly far from other regions. May did visit the latter once, but it was a rather short trip, and it didn't go as they planned. She chuckled to herself, the memory of Ash's Greninja and Zygarde resurfacing in her mind. There was nothing in Unova that particularly appealed to May, and the Kalos region was still too dangerous to travel in.

The last one left was Alola. May had only heard stories about that region, rumours circulating amongst the common folk. The sunny beaches, the clear oceans, the blue skies. She heard that there were incredibly strong trainers called Island Kahunas, and there was a rite of passage for trainers in Alola to partake in. Apparently, it was called the "Island Challenge". There were rumours about a ring exclusive to the Alola region, a ring which allowed trainers to execute attacks with astounding power.

"May, you've been awfully quiet today." Her brother prodded her with his fork, while Solidad, Drew and Harley continued eating.

Max waited for May to tell him off. She was usually bossy about his brother's table manners, but this time there was no reaction. May continued to stare at her lap in deep thought.

Max glanced at the others for answers, only to get a shrug in return.

Suddenly, May sprung from her seat as if she had a Eureka moment, giving her poor brother a heart attack.

She eyed her friends with a confident expression, and took a deep breath. "I've decided. I'm going to the Alola region."

"What?" Max exclaimed in shock, dropping the fork he was holding. "You're going on a journey again?"

Drew didn't seem too happy either. He remained silent, but May could see him gritting his teeth. Harley merely raised an eyebrow, and Solidad smiled. It was as if she knew that May was going to leave all along.

"It's been great fun travelling with you guys," May began her speech. "We've trained with each other, competed against each other, and pushed each other to become stronger coordinators. I am grateful to all of you because of that."

May gazed at the night sky, as if looking for her future. "But sometimes, things don't go the way you want them to. I feel like I haven't been progressing much as a coordinator lately. That's why I need a chance of pace, something that can kick-start my career again."

She took a brief pause before continuing. "There is something waiting for me in Alola, I can feel it. A new adventure. A new region. A chance to visit an old friend again..." the brunette trailed off.

Solidad placed her hand on May's shoulder. "Follow your heart, May. Follow your heart, and you will never go on the wrong path."

"Thanks, Solidad." May loosened up at her friend's encouraging words.

"Well, at least you won't be nagging me every five minutes." Max added, fixing his glasses in a smug manner.

May smiled at her brother, tolerating his jokes for the first time. She turned back towards her friends. "When I come back, I'll become stronger than ever, so don't let your guard down!"

"Boo Hoo," Harley pretended to sniff as he pulled out his handkerchief. "Little May is leaving her friends to find her knight in shining armour, Blah Blah Blah. Why don't you bore me some more. I'm out of here." He stood up and strode out of the restaurant. Drew followed suit without saying a word.

May crossed her arms and huffed. "I swear, that Harley..."

"Don't worry about him. I'm sure deep inside, he cares about you just as much as I do, and the same goes for Drew. Besides, it's getting late. I think we should head to bed soon." Solidad said.

May agreed, for she was getting tired as well. Solidad paid for the bill, and they returned to the hotel for the night.

* * *

May rolled around on her fluffy white bed, unable to fall asleep. She kept wondering if she had made the right choice. On one hand, her instincts told her to leave. She wanted to see Ash and go an adventure again. On the other hand, she would be abandoning her friends. It was quite the dilemma indeed.

 _Follow your heart._ Solidad's words echoed in her mind over and over again. Solidad was the oldest and most experienced, and she always gave May good advice when she needed it. But what did her heart want? May scratched her head out of frustration, trying to think clearly.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the creaking noise of the door opening, and a small ray of light crept into the room. There was a gentle knock on the door, and May instantly sprung out of bed. Why would anyone come in so late?

It was Drew.

"May, do you mind if I have a word with you?" The green-haired boy seemed rather unusual. There was no smirk on his face, no smug comment directed towards her coordinating abilities. He came in his plain green pyjamas, and he had not bothered to fix his hair. Totally not Drew style at all, but May wasn't going to judge when her friend needed help.

"Of course." May flicked on the bedside lamp, before plopping on the side of her bed. She motioned for Drew to take a seat.

"I just want to say-" Drew struggled to find the right words. "I don't think you should go to Alola." He blurted out.

May seemed surprised. Sure, any friend would be sad to part ways with one another. On the other hand, she was going to return to Hoenn eventually. Alola was just a journey, her home remained in Petalburg City nonetheless. If May was ever going to become top coordinator, she would want to win the Grand Festival on her home soil, with her family cheering from the stands.

"Why not?" May questioned.

Drew had a look of concern in his eyes. "I don't like that boy." He said flatly.

"Who?" May asked, but she realised immediately that it was a stupid question. There was only one boy she knew in Alola.

"You know who," Drew sighed. "Ash."

May frowned. She never noticed any conflicts between the two. Ash was always enthusiastic when meeting Drew, and although Drew put on his arrogant face every time he met Ash, he never insulted him. There was a sense of mutual respect between the two, as they were both experienced trainers in their respective fields.

"Ash is a great friend of mine. You know that." She defended.

Drew shook his head. "He acts nice and all, but being so enthusiastic all the time makes me uncomfortable. This might sound strange, but I don't think Ash is the person who you think he is."

He took a deep breath. "I've met these type of people before. They pretend to be your friend and act like they care, but turn their back on you when you need their help the most."

May was shocked to hear Drew speak of her friend like that. Sure, some people might dislike Ash because of his personality. He did have flaws, but trust was the very least of his issues. May knew that Ash would never, ever turn his back on his friends.

"Ash is not like that." May said quietly. "You don't know him at all."

Drew clenched his teeth. "I just don't want anything to happen to you, that's all." He seemed genuinely upset, and May felt bad for him. She was glad to have a friend who cared so much.

"That's very nice of you," She softened up, knowing that Drew was just worried about her. "But I've made up my mind already."

"Then I'm going to Alola with you." He pressed.

"Thanks, Drew." May smiled. "But I don't need your help. I'll do just fine on my own." She politely declined the offer, for one of the reasons why she wanted to leave Hoenn was because she wanted a change of pace. May wanted a fresh start, and although she enjoyed Drew's company, having him around wouldn't achieve that.

"I'm still going to keep a close eye on you." Drew insisted stubbornly.

"Fine." May gave in. "I guess I can't change your mind."

The green-haired coordinator heaved a sigh. "Thank you, May. I'm exhausted, so I'm going to bed. Good night." He got up from his chair and began heading towards the door.

"One more thing." Drew stopped; he reached for his pocket and fished out a small object. With a classy flick of his hand, he tossed it backwards before striding out of the room like his usual self.

May caught it. It was a rose, with a rather sweet scent. She blushed as Drew disappeared from sight, still holding the rose in her hands.

Gently placing it on the table, May flicked the lights off and snuggled under her covers.

* * *

 **The Alola Region, Ula'Ula Island**

As the sun slowly set over the horizon, a boy leaned lightly against the railings, looking over the vast ocean. His hair was black and messy as if left unattended for weeks, and there was a Pikachu resting peacefully on his hat.

The two of them watched as the gentle waves occasionally crashed against the shore, sending droplets of sparkling water flying into the air. Nevertheless, the rest of the ocean was calm as the setting sun. The water was clear and fresh, preserved by nature and untouched by humanity. They felt the cool Alolan breeze press against their faces, the tropical Alolan scent dominating the seaside.

"This is a really beautiful view. Isn't that right, Pikachu?"

"Pi?" His companion awoke from his slumber and looked around in confusion. A faint smile appeared on his face as he appreciated the breathtaking scenery.

"Pika." He responded dreamily, still tired from his previous nap. He enjoyed sitting on his trainer's hat. It was just the right size and shape.

The boy sighed. "I wish someone was here to see this as well. It sure is boring at times when it's just us two." He gazed at the endless ocean, imagining the faces of his friends appearing before his eyes.

He smiled and glanced upwards at the direction of his Pikachu, although he couldn't quite see him due to the hat. "Well, at least we've got each other. That is something that will never change."

"Chaaa." Pikachu yawned. He had already crawled back into his sleeping position. The boy smiled as he gently removed the Pikachu from his cap, before tucking him into a mouse-sized sleeping bag. Careful not to wake him up, he positioned his own sleeping bag next to his partner's, and snuggled comfortably into the warm shelter.

"G'night, buddy." The boy shut his eyes and entered the dream world as the two of them lay side by side, facing each other like a pair of inseparable friends. Till death do us part, as they say.

* * *

 **Well, it sure took a bit longer than I thought to actually get the story going, but the adventure begins now.**

 **A question for the plot: Do you want May to participate in contests in Alola or help Ash in his trial quest (participate in the trials and fight the Totem pokemon together, but Ash battles grand trial alone). I like the idea of the latter, but I might change my mind if you guys don't like it.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I've decided on an upload schedule (which will normally apply, unless I have too much homework) of an update every 1-2 weeks, depending on the length of the chapter. Updates may be slower in the future since I am planning on writing another story.**

 **Most of you seem content with May helping Ash on his trial quest, so that's settled then.**

* * *

"How does he move so quickly..." May grumbled to herself, as he dragged her body along the ground like a slug. Sweat poured down her back like a waterfall, and her hair was plastered to her forehead in a mess. She felt like she was carrying one of those rucksacks that they used in the army.

It had not been a good day for the brunette. She bought her ticket to Alola without considering the most important detail of all: she had absolutely no idea how to find Ash. May was dumped onto Melemele Island without any prior knowledge of the area, and was left to scour for a boy that for all she knew, could be stuck in another world by now. Ash was just the type of person who could end up anywhere, at anytime.

* **Flashback***

"Has anyone here seen a black-haired boy with a hat and a Pikachu?" May pestered passers-by in a futile effort to find the boy. Although "a hat and a Pikachu" was certainly not the most descriptive term she could find, she had never seen anyone else who walked around with a Pikachu on his shoulders. In fact, she had yet to see a single Pikachu in Alola.

Unfortunately, most of the people ignored her and walked straight past as if she were some sort of raving lunatic. The busy ones shrugged in annoyance, and the nicer ones gave her a look of sympathy before strolling off to their own business. To be fair, May couldn't exact blame them. She did look like an idiot by standing around in the middle of town raving about some random boy, but what choice did she have? It wasn't like Ash was going to just magically appear out of nowhere.

"This is impossible." May groaned. She slumped onto the sidewalk for a brief rest, for standing under the sun alone made her exhausted. May knew that she wasn't the most athletic person out there, but at the moment her skin was literally on fire. She deserved a rest.

Taking a deep breath, she began to formulate a cunning plan to find the raven-haired boy. Video calling? Perhaps, but Ash had to be in a Pokémon centre at the same time. From her past experiences, she definitely could not count on Ash to deal with anything electrical. The boy just didn't understand technology.

 _Ugh, what am I supposed to do?_ The brunette felt like hitting herself on the head. May had never felt so useless in her life, and right now her emotions were a mixture of frustration and helplessness. Not exactly the relaxing vibe that Alola promised. Just as she was about to give up, May received a light tap on the shoulder.

Looking up, she spotted a middle-aged man staring at her with a grin on his face. The first word that came to her mind when describing this man was 'cool'. He wore a white lab coat that was draped loosely around his body, revealing a set of toned abs underneath. There was a neat goatee tucked under his chin, while his hair was tied into a soft bun. A white hat rested on his head, and a pair of cool shades covered his eyes.

 _He's kinda hot._ May thought giddily, even though the man was clearly too old for her.

"Well?" He demanded. "A black-haired boy with a hat and a Pikachu you say?"

May nodded bleakly. After multiple encounters with a similar scenario, she had learned to keep her expectations low. It always ended up with "Sorry, kiddo. Never seen anyone like that before." She heard the same response so many times that even people offering to help barely sparked her interest.

Much to her surprise, the man threw his head back and laughed. "You must be looking for Ash!"

May's head instantly jerked at the mention of his name. This Kukui guy seemed to know what he was talking about. A black-haired boy with a hat, a Pikachu and also happens to be called Ash? It couldn't be a coincidence. "Yeah! Do you know him?" She asked.

"Let me introduce myself," The man adjusted his hat into a cool pose, although May cringed at the slightly superfluous posture. "My name's Professor Kukui. I've been researching Z-moves for quite a while now. I am also a teacher at the Pokémon School, where Ash used to be one of my students. In fact, he stayed at my place when he was still attending classes."

"Pokémon School?" May had never heard of such a thing.

"Of course!" Kukui cried, as if stating the obvious. "We teach students about Pokémon. How to interact with them, how to take care of them, how to battle with them. Ash has graduated from our school and is currently participating in the Island Trials."

"Cool. Do you know where he might be?" May asked hopefully.

Kukui scratched his chin. "Aha!" He snapped his fingers and winked. "I think you may find him in Konikoni City, Akala Island."

May's heart was beating with excitement. After an entire morning of unproductive begging, she was finally getting somewhere. A head start was all that she asked for, a mere chance to find Ash in this absolute nightmare of a region. Professor Kukui had no idea how much of a life saver he was.

"Thank you, Mister." May politely addressed the Professor, before heading for the ferry station.

Along the way, she couldn't help but wonder how Ash would react upon seeing her. Excitement? Surprise? Or perhaps, May thought with a slight gulp, Ash might not recognise her. After all, it wasn't completely impossible. May literally ceased any form of contact with the boy since they parted in Sinnoh. She cringed at how awkward, and disappointing it would be if Ash had already forgotten her. Nevertheless, she had to give it a shot.

* * *

"He was lying." May sulked as she placed her hands on her hips, having spent the last two hours scavenging through Konikoni City. She was beginning to wonder whether Ash was really here, when she ran into a blue haired girl called Lana. Lana claimed to be one of the trial captains in Akala Island.

After a friendly chat, May learned that Ash had already finished his business in Konikoni City, and her heart sank. According to Lana, he left for Malie City a few days ago. Malie City was in an entirely different Island.

Now May had to buy another ferry ticket, just to sail over to Ula'Ula Island and find Ash. Well, try to find Ash, anyway. After she learned that Kukui had no idea what he was talking about, she began to doubt the validity of Lana's own words.

 ***End of flashback***

Yippie. Here she was, in Malie City. Great. The only thing she had to do was locate a single boy in a somewhat densely populated city. She might as well try to find a needle in a haystack. What Lana forgot to mention was that Malie was an extremely urbanised city, and needless to say, it was packed with pedestrians from top to bottom.

It even looked like a maze; there were no distinctions between roads as towering skyscrapers closed in on every direction. Identical buildings occupied most of the space, while competitive markets dominated the rest. People rushed by as if desperate to get to work, and May knew that there was no chance that anyone would bother to help her.

She put her hands over her ears in frustration. _Why does everything have to be so difficult?_ The responsibilities of travelling alone was starting to dawn on her. Ever since the beginning of her journey, she had always relied on someone: Brock and Ash in Hoenn, followed by Solidad and Drew in Johto. Now, she was alone, hopeless, and worst of all, stranded in a region she knew nothing about.

Suddenly, May was struck by a force out of the blue. Her bandana almost came apart, and May struggled to keep it on. _What was that?_ The sensation seemed strangely familiar, like one of those shockwaves created when powerful moves clashed against each other. Even more strangely, the force dissipated as quickly as it arrived. The city was still again; not even a single breeze reached her face.

Although the events baffled May, it almost seemed... inviting. Whatever it was, May decided to check it out. She straightened her bandana before marching towards the source, which seemed originate from the city centre.

May manoeuvred through the series of narrow alleyways that lead to the city centre, when another shockwave rippled across the air. _Wow._ She thought. _Someone is having an intense battle._ It was reminiscent of the times when Ash and Brock used to train with each other, while May and Max watched happily from the sidelines. The collisions generated forcefields which would traverse across the air in powerful pulses, pressing against their faces. For whatever reason, this encounter seemed awfully familiar.

May began to hear muffled voices as she approached the opening, like a mob of people chanting. The alleyway was dark, yet it grew brighter and brighter as she neared the exit. The voices as well; they grew louder and louder as she approached. When May emerged from the alleyway completely, it sounded like a football stadium.

May was standing in the city centre, and it seemed more lively than usual. There was indeed a boisterous crowd surrounding the middle, chanting like they were watching a street fight. This seemed to be the norm here; pedestrians went about their businesses unaffected, ignoring the all-out scuffle that seemed to happening right under their noses. Due to her short stature, May couldn't see what was going on. She nudged her way through the crowd to get a better peek.

There were two trainers, facing each other in a pokémon battle. One of them was a light-skinned man with a honey-coloured moustache and an old-fashioned cape, and the other was Ash.

There was no doubt about it, May recognised his raven-black hair and goofy smile in an instant. He wore a white and blue striped T-shirt and baggy shorts that drooped over his knees. His treasured official Pokémon league hat perched on top of his head, while a strange watch fitted around his wrist. Quite the Alolan vibe indeed. A cheer erupted as both pokémon clashed once more with incredible power, generating another ripple of shockwaves throughout the city.

"Get him, kid!" The crowd seemed as lively as a contest stadium, with slurs and chants thrown left and right. Less formal perhaps, but no less enthusiastic. The inhabitants of Alola sure knew how to make a good atmosphere. "Teach him a lesson, Chuck!" The man in the cape, presumably called Chuck, grinned and saluted in return. Both of them seemed to be enjoying the battle.

May was too excited to wait until the end, she wanted to see Ash immediately. She squeezed her way through two burly men to reach the front, earning a few glares in return, but she didn't care. "Hey, Ash! It's me!" May fought hard to overcome the sea of noise that circulated amongst the crowd. She tried to get his attention by standing on her tiptoes and waving, and it seemed to work.

Ash turned towards the familiar voice. "May?"

Squinting his eyes, Ash scanned the rowdy crowd, spotting a girl with a red bandana on her head. It was indeed his old friend May, whom he hadn't seen since the Wallace Cup in Sinnoh. Realisation kicked in, and his jaw dropped.

What was a former companion doing here in Alola, much less watching the very battle he was in? However, the expression of disbelief soon morphed into a grin. "How are ya?" He gave her a wave in return.

May couldn't help but smile. He did seem excited to see her after all. However, she sweat dropped as Ash continued to wave at her with a crazy grin on his face, oblivious to the fact that the battle was still very much in progress.

The poor boy turned around just in time to witness his partner flung across the battlefield. He crashed into the ground with devastating momentum, ploughing through several metres of concrete before slamming into a wall. A cloud of thick dust emerged from the site of impact, obscuring the view from the audience.

May gasped, for that hit must have hurt. She held her head down in shame; slightly guilty that it was her who distracted Ash in the first place. Meanwhile, the crowd cheered. They were loving every second of this battle: The nerve-racking power, the ear-splitting clashes, the sickening crunches as each Pokémon took attack after attack without falling. It was just like a boxing ring.

Scratching his head, Ash shot May a sheepish look before turning back to the battle. The brunette sighed in exasperation, but at the same time she was relieved that Ash hadn't changed one bit: he was still his same old self, clumsy and unaware of his surroundings.

Chuck wore a smug grin on his face. He leaned backwards, twirling his hat with one hand as his partner landed smoothly by his side.

His pokémon resembled a towering, bipedal werewolf with red fur and a mighty mane. Instead of pupils, the whole of his eyes glowed blood-red. Razor-sharp claws protruded from his limping arms, and his canines were gleaming white. May decided that she would not want to get on this pokémon's bad side.

"They don't call me the Terminator for nothing ya know! My Lycanroc hits like a truck." Chuck roared, and the crowd cheered in response. The pokémon called Lycanroc lifted his arms and gave a mighty howl of agreement. May could tell that he was well-trained. Judging by the size of his claws, a single swipe would be sufficient to slice her head clean off.

Ash looked towards the direction of the fallen pokémon. May couldn't read his expression, for his hat was concealing a good chunk of his face. "Decidueye! Can you still battle?" He asked.

The cloud of dust gradually cleared away, leaving a huge crater in the wall. Slid onto the floor was the pokémon called Decidueye. It was a tall, avian pokémon that resembled an owl. He had a hood made from leaves which flipped over his head, partially covering his face and the piercing eyes that lay underneath. A single white feather perched on top of his hood, while his wings were lapped by great brown feathers which spread evenly like an eagle. His lower body consisted of muscular legs complimented by a set of powerful talons, giving the impression of an avian Robin Hood.

"It's over, sonny. No one takes a hit like that from me Lycanroc without falling." Chuck crossed his arms. There was an impatient expression on his face, as if he was bored by the battle.

"We'll see about that." Ash grinned. May recognised that expression, and she chuckled. It was his 'check mate' face.

Soon enough, the persistent owl forced himself off the ground. There were visible battle marks all over his body, but Decidueye wasn't finished yet. _"Dueyeee!"_ Much to the crowd's dismay, he spread his wings like an eagle and unleashed a shrill cry of resilience. Instead of hurting the the owl, it was as if the attack had only fuelled its anger.

Although his eyes were partly concealed behind the hood, they had a certain glint to them which made May shudder. She remembered the stories she heard as a child of Medusa, a monster whose eyes were so unforgiving, so merciless that a single look was sufficient to turn someone into stone. Decidueye was exactly like that.

"What?" Chuck spluttered. "Impossible!" The caped man stared in disbelief as the owl took to the air, heading towards Lycanroc with a fierce expression.

"Never underestimate my Decidueye!" Ash retorted with confidence. "Now, Brave Bird!"

" _Deciddd-_ " The avian, who was already hovering above Lycanroc in an advantageous position, spread his wings and swooped downwards like a hawk on it's prey. His body burst into flames as he soared through the air with terrifying speed, unfazed by the strong currents that continuously beat against his face.

Chuck gritted his teeth. The battle should have been over by now. How was it possible that Decidueye survived the hit? "use Stone Edge!" He commanded.

Lycanroc gave off yet another mighty howl, and plunged his powerful claws into the ground. Jagged pillars of stone began to protrude from the ground, serving as layers of shields against the incoming avian. However, it was already too late.

" _-dueyeeee_!" Decidueye gave a battle cry before tucking in his wings to produce a streamline shape. The flaming body was replaced by a blue aura which engulfed the owl completely, and plunged towards his target like a fighter jet. By the time Lycanroc's claws made contact with the ground, he found the avian right in front of his face.

A lone pillar managed to erupt from the ground, but Decidueye ripped straight through like it was paper. The rock shattered into a million pieces, and Decidueye hadn't lost any momentum.

May felt bad for Chuck's Lycanroc. He put his paws out for protection, but it proved to be futile as Decidueye crashed into the werewolf without mercy.

The impact was like a comet hitting the earth. The earth shaking collision was followed by a gigantic mushroom of dust which billowed upwards, enveloping the clear sky within seconds. May hung onto a lamp post with all her might, and many others did the same. The shockwave produced howling currents which almost knocked her off balance.

When the dust cleared, Lycanroc was unconscious. The aftermath of the impact left a wolf-sized crater in the ground where he lay, and Decidueye stood over his body in dominance, as if daring anyone to question his authority. His eyes remained cold as stone.

The first reception amongst the audience was complete silence. The residue energy produced by the shockwave crackled with tension, and the distinct smell of smoke hung in the air. The audience witnessed first-hand, what real power looked like. Everyone single spectator felt the force of the collision tingling on their skin, they heard the very sound of concrete slabs crumbling to dust with their ears.

The disbelief gradually lead to acceptance, which grew into approval. The audience erupted in cheers, more than satisfied with the entertainment they were provided with. It was not every day that a battle of such quality was displayed in Malie City. Nevertheless, it was over. The crowd began to disperse as people returned to their jobs and lives, leaving the two trainers alone.

Ash returned his Decidueye to a pokéball in a flash, before turning to Chuck. "That was a good battle, Chuck!" No matter the result, he always treated his opponents with the utmost respect.

"Thanks." Chuck took his loss well. However, he was still surprised at that Decidueye's unbelievable durability. The fleeting image of the merciless owl crashing down in a blue aura still rang in his mind. "That was the most powerful Brave Bird I've ever seen." He admitted.

Ash scratched his head in embarrassment. "Your Lycanroc was pretty strong too. For a second, I thought Decidueye wasn't going to make it." He told the truth, for Decidueye was struck with such force that any average pokémon wouldn't have stood a chance. After all, Chuck was renowned for being the king of Malie street battles. He was on an unbeaten run until today, where Chuck had finally met his match.

"Looks like I've still got a lot more training to do." He petted his Lycanroc, who cooed in pleasure. Despite the terrifying appearance it took on in battle, the werewolf had a hidden soft side as well. Nevertheless, his bloodshot eyes creeped May out. Although Decidueye looked like a murderer, she would rather be around the owl any day.

Ash tucked the pokéball into his pocket. "And so do we. Hey, Chuck." the boy straightened his jacket, before glancing at the older man. "Let's battle again sometime."

The older man's eyes were hidden as he faced downwards. "It would be my pleasure". Chuck took off his hat and saluted the boy. It was his tradition, he saluted every opponent that defeated him in battle. In a way, it was a reminder that there were still a lot of stronger trainers out there, and he must never, ever get complacent. The caped man took a deep breath and turned away, heading towards the opposite direction in town. Underneath the huge hat he wore, there was a smile etched on his face. This kid was truly something else.

May waited anxiously for Chuck to disappear from sight, then she took a deep breath and approached the raven-haired boy.


	6. Chapter 6

**Long chapter again. I really should try and aim for around the same amount (4-5k) lol.**

 **Anyways, I do hope you enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

May stared into the eyes of her old friend. The finally met, face to face, alone in the middle of Malie City. No crowds, no shouting, just the reunion of two old friends after what seemed like decades. For a second, neither of them uttered a word. They simply absorbed the situation before their eyes.

"I see you're still battling hard as always." she finally breathed.

May studied the boy closely. On the surface, Ash seemed to have changed. His hair grew out into a messier and darker state, and his facial features became sharper. The Z-marks on his cheeks stood out like battle scars on face, and his eyes told the story of an veteran trainer. However, May knew that what lay underneath hadn't changed. Deep inside, his battling spirit burned as bright as ever, and he was the same childish boy who fried her bike all these years ago.

Ash loosened up his muscles. At first, he seemed rather fidgety about meeting May - after all, she had been erased from his life for so long. Fortunately, the tension dissipated as soon as May spoke, and Ash returned to his usual, bumbling self.

"What do you expect, May? I'm going to beat the Island Challenge!" He boasted. However, Ash's eyebrows scrunched into a frown, as if something had suddenly struck his mind. "Oh yeah! What brings you here in Alola, May?" The brunette's unexpected appearance did bother him earlier, but Ash had forgotten about it in the heat of the battle.

"I wanted to visit you, Ash." May laughed at the confused boy, as if that was obvious. "Besides, what better place to come than a region with sunny beaches and five star restaurants? Oh, just thinking about it makes me drool." She dreamed.

"I know, Alola's really cool. The pokémon here are completely different from what we saw in Hoenn. I've even caught a few. You've met Decidueye already, haven't you?" He brandished a handful of pokéballs towards his friend.

"Of course I have." As much as May wanted to see Ash's Alolan squad, she had something else on her mind. After all, she came here to have fun as well, right? "Hey, I've got an idea." Her face lit up. "Why don't we go try out a Malasada here? I've heard that they're absolutely delicious!"

"Wha-" Ash began to complain, but May had already grabbed him by the wrist, and began dragging him along like a stubborn pet.

"Come on Ash, that's not how you're supposed to treat a girl." She grinned at the boy, whose shoulders slumped forwards as he reluctantly followed May's lead.

"But... I wanted to do some training..." Ash mumbled in defeat. Once May had her sights set on food, there was no stopping her.

May held the tour map in one hand and Ash's wrist in the other. Malie City was renowned for being like a maze: There were so many twists and turns that May had found herself walking in circles. Identical commercial building erected from either side wherever she went, making it almost impossible to pinpoint their location. May felt like she was trapped inside the labyrinth.

"Hmmm." She pondered. "According to the map, we should be close to the restaurant by now. Then again, we should reached the restaurant fifteen minutes ago..." May looked at the ground sheepishly, and Ash sweat dropped.

Fortunately, Ash had been wandering around Malie city for the past few days. He visited the Malie Library, stopped by the Pokémart to pick up supplies, and even took the time to wander around the famous Malie Garden. Although he wasn't completely familiar with his surroundings, he had vague idea of where a Malasada shop might be.

"I think it's over there." He knitted his brows in thought, and gestured towards the upcoming junction. There was indeed something located ahead. Wedged between two glass-encased skyscrapers was an old-fashioned restaurant. Compared to it's surroundings, it seemed small and scrawny, with wooden placards hung all over the windows to attract customers. May spotted the unmissable sign with the glaring words 'Uncle Jim's Magical Malasadas' plastered on the front. Yep, that was a Malasada shop.

"Well spotted, Ash." May scrunched up the map and placed it into her fanny pack.

"No problem. Can you let go of my hand now?" Ash whined, his wrist sore from all the twists and turns that May dragged him through.

May noticed that she was still holding onto Ash's hand. She released it immediately, her face turning bright red. "Oh, sure." She muttered. Somehow, the memory of Oscar and Andi flashed across her mind once again, and that made her even more embarrassed. They spent the rest of the journey walking in silence.

The restaurant was packed with customers. Uncle Jim's proved to be a popular place indeed. Ash and May found a table at the corner, where they could talk peacefully without listening to the obnoxious chattering that filled the air. Soon enough, a waiter passed by their table. May ordered a bunch of different Malasadas for both of them, while the boy sank into his seat in exhaustion.

Fortunately, Ash's lethargic mood disappeared as soon as he took a bite from a Malasada.

"Wow! This is so amazing!" Ash exclaimed, his mouth stuffed with the sugary dough. "I can't believe I haven't tried one before."

"What did I tell you?" May chuckled as she feasted on her Malasada. "Never say no until you've tried it."

People began staring at the two strange kids who were munching on their food like starving wolves, but neither Ash nor May cared. The Malasadas were so good that they could eat a mountain of them. Besides, May was delighted to see Ash energised again. He had been in a rather sulky mood ever since he finished the battle.

"Hey, Ash." Something that Professor Kukui mentioned earlier came up on May's mind. "What exactly is the Island Challenge?"

That got the boy's attention. His eyes lit up, and Ash put his Malasada down before wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"You'll love it, May. The Island Challenge is so awesome!" he explained. "You have to complete trials, which are specific tasks set by Trial Captains."

"Trial Captain... I met a girl who was one." May pondered. "Ah, that was her name. Lana!"

"Yea, Lana's awesome." Ash continued. "She's in charge of the trial at Brooklet Hill. I had to investigate a series of phenomenon that occurred in the lakes, and it led me to this huge Wishiwashi. Oh man, it was so scary, Decidueye almost tried to run away from the battle! Of course, that was when he was still a Rowlet."

"Oh right, I forgot. You haven't met many Alolan Pokémon yet." Ash grinned sheepishly at May's puzzled expression. "Anyway, what was I talking about? Oh yea, trial captains basically train pokémon which are not only powerful, but huge as well. We call them Totem Pokémon, and you get a Z-Crystal for defeating each one."

"Z-Crystal?" May had heard of the term before, but she wasn't exactly sure what it was.

Ash placed his arm on the table. There was a watch on it, except that it wasn't a watch. It was some sort of complicated machinery which wrapped around his wrist like a ring, and a sparkling crystal fit snugly in the middle. It was small and diamond-shaped, and etched on top was a symbol of a rock.

The boy smirked. "I'll show you what it does. Not in here, though." He added, a mysterious undertone in his voice.

May pouted. "Come on, Ash. I wanna see it."

"It's too dangerous. I can't use it here. Besides, I haven't finished my story." Ash continued rambling. "On each Island, there is a Kahuna. Kahunas are the strongest trainers on the Island, and you get to challenge them after completing all the trials on that Island." He stuffed the rest of the Malasada into his mouth.

"Wow. That sure sounds fun." May did like the idea of Island Trials. They provided a twist from the traditional gyms, while testing other aspects of the challenger other than their battling capabilities. "So how far have you gone?"

Ash fumbled through his backpack and brought out a neat case. "Ta-da." He opened it, revealing an set of Z-crystals organised into two rows. "I've completed four trials and two grand trials. This is the Normalium-Z from Ilima, the Waterium-Z from Lana, the Firium-Z from Kiawe and the Grassium-Z from Mallow. Oh, and I won the Fightinium-Z from Hala, as well as the Rockium-Z from Olivia." He puffed his chest out with pride.

"They look so pretty!" May fawned over the delicate pieces of crystals, each of them possessing a unique colour and symbol. However, appearances could be deceiving. May knew that these Z-crystal weren't simply ornaments with aesthetic value, for she sensed the tremendous power that lay within every one of them. After all, Professor Kukui did mention that Ash was participating in the Island Trials to get Z-crystals.

"Yup. Next stop is the Hokulani Observatory. The trial captain is a friend of mine, actually. His name is Sophocles." The image of his rather large friend popped up in Ash's mind. He remembered his frizzy orange hair, and the prickly Togedemaru that stuck to him like glue.

Ash had befriended the trial captain in Pokémon school, and they've had a light-hearted rivalry ever since. That guy was also a monster at electronics, just like Clemont.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu affirmed with a thumbs up. Judging from his enthusiastic expression, he was just as fired up as his trainer was. Classic Pikachu. Their friendship was so deep that sometimes the electric rat would subconsciously imitate his trainer's actions. On the other hand, May still had a while to go before she reached that level of chemistry with her pokémon.

"You seem to be making good progress, Ash. Hey, I've got an idea." The brunette clasped her hands together. "Why don't we take a break today? We could check out the _lovely_ beaches." She gushed. May had been wanting to say that for a while, and she was waiting for just the perfect moment.

Ash scratched his head. "That does sound fun... but then again, I really want my next Z-crystal. It's the Electrium-Z for Pikachu." The electric rat nodded in accordance. He couldn't wait to unleash his own Z-move - Sparking Gigavolt. In fact, the Electrium-Z was the very first crystal that Ash experimented with.

The guardian deity of Melemele Island, Tapu Koko, apparently decided they he wanted to test Ash's skill. What the legendary pokémon did not expect was Pikachu blasting a ten foot deep chasm that levelled half the forrest with Gigavolt Havoc. Unfortunately, Ash could not control the overwhelming power, and the Z-crystal shattered. He had wanted to earn his own Electrium-Z ever since - that was the real reason why he chose to compete in the trials.

"C'mon, pretty pleaseee." May pouted. She attempted to sway the boy's mind by putting on her cutest expression, and Ash had a little internal turmoil. He wanted that Electrium-Z so badly, but who could resist a look like that? On the surface, May looked like a cute innocent girl, but little did people know that the brunette had some devilish tricks up her sleeve.

"Alright, alright." Ash cursed himself for being so manipulatable. "I guess a little fun can't hurt, can it?"

"Yes!" May squealed under her breath, the same way she did when Ash agreed to take her along his journey all these years ago. She guessed that some things just never changed. May was the student, and Ash the mentor. That was how their friendship all started out.

They paid for their food, and the two of them left the restaurant in search for a sunny beach. They stopped at a sportswear shop, for neither of them had brought bathing suits with them. Ash took a quick glance at the selection before picking a pair of deep blue swimming trunks, while May happily spent ages trawling through the variety of swimsuits.

After what seemed like an eternity, she decided on a green bikini with lovely flowers imprinted all over. Even so, May spent at least a couple of tries in the dressing room before affirming her choice. Meanwhile, Ash sat on one of the waiting chairs, bored out of his mind.

"Why do girls take so long on everything..." Ash grumbled.

May gave him a friendly prod on the head. "For your information, Mister, we actually care about how we look." She turned around with a merry smile and handed the product to the cashier. "Hi, can I buy this green bikini here? I'll also pay for my friend's swimming trunks." She said sweetly.

"Sure, no problem kiddo. You two have fun out there!" The cashier replied with a wink.

"Thank you, Mister!" May received the package, and handed Ash his swimming trunks. The two of them left the store, heading for the ferry station. _This is going to be so fun!_ May envisioned the time they would spend together with a dreamy smile on her face. It had been a while since May managed to find some alone time with Ash. Although she loved her brother, he was a pain to take care of. To be perfectly honest, May was slightly disappointed when Max asked to come along the journey. It was just one more responsibility for her to bear.

As they steered clear of the store, Ash caught with the brunette. "Wow, thanks for paying for me back there, May." It was usually the other way around; Ash and Brock took the burden of satisfying May's unusually large appetite. She did have a knack for cherry-picking the most expensive restaurants, whether coincidental or not.

"No worries." May was in such a good mood that she would do anything. There was an air of relaxation and freedom in Alola that enchanted every tourist who set foot on the region, and May was no exception. The pressure to perform in contests, the stressful climb to the top of the Coordinating ladder - all her worries floated away in no time. May was here to enjoy herself, and to take a break from life.

They took a ferry back to Akala Island, for May wanted to see the best of the best. The closest beach to Malie City was the Secluded Shore, and judging by it's name, it wasn't exactly a tourist hotspot. There was no way May would ruin her Alola experience by visiting a deserted beach. Fortunately, transport in Alola was relatively easy. There were interconnecting ferry terminals between all the Islands, and they could travel from one to another in no time at all.

It took an extra fifteen minute trek before they reached their destination. May stopped at the cobble stairwells leading towards the beach, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. The hike may have been tiring, but it was definitely worth the effort.

Right in front of their eyes lay the famous Hano Beach. It was certainly a tourist attraction; the entire beach was brimming with life. The golden sand sparkled under the warm sun, and the waves gently lapped onto the shore at regular intervals. The water was nice and clear without contamination, and the sky was a peaceful shade of blue. _Just perfect_ , May thought.

Hano Beach was filled with a wide variety of tourists. The adults set up their lounge chairs near the entrance, sunbathing without the fear of water ruining their attire. Further ahead lay the children, who built delicate sandcastles near the shore. The ocean itself seemed packed with activities: there were surfers, swimmers, jet-ski riders. You name it, you got it.

Ash was so mesmerised by the beauty of the beach that he didn't realise May had already left to change. She emerged a moment later from the bathroom, appearing before him in the green bikini she bought earlier.

"Well?" May winked. "How do I look, Ash?" She twirled around to show off her new swimsuit.

Ash stared at her. He had seen many girls in bikinis before. In fact, he had seen May herself in a bikini a few times. However, for some bizarre reason, this occasion was different. There was a strange feeling in his stomach, like there were butterflies churning around, bumping against his intestines.

For the first time, Ash picked up details about his friend that he never noticed before. Her soft skin, her delicate arms, her slender legs. How her lustrous brown hair fell smoothly down to her shoulders, how they seemed to form an upside down V shape onto her forehead. He looked hard, and realised that May had blue eyes. Peaceful, navy-blue eyes.

"Are you alright?" May laughed at her friend, who was staring with a blank expression on his face.

"Oh..." Ash snapped out of his trance. He rubbed his eyes, and May looked normal again - just a brown-haired girl in a swimsuit. What was that strange sensation that he felt? He frowned again, for the feeling vanished from his stomach as quickly as it had come.

"Um... Yeah, I'm fine!" Ash replied rather hastily. "You look great, May!"

He spoke with a tone of uncertainty in his voice, but the brunette didn't seem to notice.

"Aww. Thank you Ash!" May grinned in response. She wasn't concerned about Ash's unusual reaction at the slightest, for all she could think of was right now having fun at the beach. "Well, what are you waiting for? Race you to the water!" May turned and sprinted towards the ocean, her brown hair trailing behind in the wind.

Ash's mouth was still hanging open. He couldn't push the earlier incident out of his mind, for the weird sensation troubled him like never before. It was as if a part inside him had been awakened, and it was yearning to take over. It was something powerful and dangerous, something that he couldn't control. Ash knew that whatever it was, he would have to confront it - soon.

A breeze of cool air swept over his face, and Ash snapped back into reality. The worries vanished like mist in the air as his inner child took over again. "You're not gonna beat me!" He shouted, sprinting after May in a heartbeat. Ash zipped past a horde of sunbathing adults, careful not to trod on anyone as he raced towards the sparkling ocean.

Although Ash might be faster than May, she still had a head start. The brunette jumped into the ocean like a bottlenose dolphin, allowing the sensation of cool water on her skin flow through her body. It was just the right temperature: not too warm, not too cold.

May opened her eyes and surveyed her surroundings. The water was clear as crystal. Her vision stretched outwards where the bottomless seabed crept, spotting a school of fish swam freely around the perimeters. A few coral reefs lined the seabed connecting to the beach, and the surface glittered invitingly, as if the sun were calling out for her.

May broke from the surface for oxygen, just to witness a wave of seawater splash over her face. She rubbed her eyes and glanced around, but the mischievous boy was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, she felt a playful tug on her foot, and realised that Ash was pulling her under the water.

"Ash, stop!" She giggled as the boy flailed around under the sea like a fish, dragging May around in circles.

Suddenly, May froze. She noticed that the ocean was rumbling. It trembled against her skin like a massaging seat, yet one which was terrifying rather than relaxing. The waves began to lap at irregular intervals, bobbing up and down out of control. The clouds converged, and the sky darkened. She picked up a distant rustling from afar, and knew instantly that things weren't right.

Pinching her nose, she dove into the water and gestured for Ash to get up. A moment later, the boy burst onto the surface, shaking his hair to rid himself of seawater. "What's wrong?" he asked. Ash was panting, and he had a confused look on his face.

May was about to speak, but she was cut off by the blearing noise from a megaphone. An uncomfortable, screeching sound filled the air as the lifeguard turned his device on. He tapped the end twice to fix it, and positioned the megaphone next to his mouth.

"Attention all swimmers: You must leave the water immediately. I repeat, leave the water immediately." He announced.

Looks of confusion appeared on the tourists' faces, and a wave of muttering spread across the ocean. No one had a clue what was going on, but the lifeguard sounded dead serious.

"Look, over there!" One of the surfers pointed towards the distant opening. Not too far away, there seemed to be a uniform disturbance across the ocean. May squinted her eyes. At first sight, it resembled waves sweeping across the water. Nothing special, just high tides that occurred on a regular basis. When she took a closer look, she realised that they weren't waves.

They were Carvanha.

Hundreds, if not thousands of little fish-shaped pokémon, formed into an intimidating school and swarming directly towards their location. They leapt in and out of the water a blur of red and blue, snapping their powerful jaws and revealing the sharp, white fangs that lay beneath. Although each individual Carvanha wasn't that big, their jaws practically made up half their body mass, and an army of them could chew May up in seconds.

"-there have been rumours of a school of Carvanha heading towards the safety-zone." The lifeguard finished.

Mass panic broke out amongst the tourists in the ocean; screams could be heard all over the place. All around them, people began swimming for their lives. They abandoned their surfboards and jet-skis in terror, leaving the ocean with an excess of floating junk. Adults grabbed their children and began heading for dry land, while the instructors began to help the elderly and disabled.

"Ash, let's go." May tugged on the boy's arm, for everyone around them had already began to disperse. However, Ash didn't budge. There was a stubborn expression on his face, and May knew that it meant nothing but trouble. When Ash had that look on his face, it was pointless trying to speak sense into him.

"Oh yea? I'll show you!" Ash brandished his empty fist at the army of Carvanha, who continued to sweep across the ocean with terrifying speed. They looked at the boy as if he were crazy, and bared their polished teeth in response. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" he ordered.

"Pika-" Pikachu leapt off Ash's shoulders into a somersault, preparing to unleash his infamous thunderbolt attack.

May freaked out. "Ash, stop! You'll fry the entire ocean!" Pikachu stumbled mid-air and fell into the water with crash, sweat dropping as Ash remembered that water was an excellent conductor of electricity. May sighed. She knew full well that this was not the first time Ash had made this mistake. Although he may be an expert battler, his knowledge on Physics was remain limited to pre-school level.

"Oh, yea." Ash scrunched his eyebrows, as if trying to think. "Alright then, Decidueye, I choose you!" He reached for his pocket to grab a pokéball, but then realised that he was wearing swimming trunks.

May sweat dropped again. "Ash, we have to go _now_." She insisted, this time sounding dead serious. It was now or never. The ocean grew more and more restless by the minute, indicating that the mob of Carvanha were approaching.

May examined the waves. They heaved up and down with such weight that she might have thought they were caught in a storm. Navigating around under these conditions wouldn't be easy at all.

"You're right." Ash glanced at May, before diving into the water and breaking into a perfect freestyle. May trailed behind; she wasn't as athletic as the boy, but she was an able swimmer nonetheless. The disturbing sound of fangs gnawing against each other grew louder and louder, and May knew that they had to move fast.

Some of the better swimmers had already reached the shore, and they began to help usher people away from danger. Reinforcements had arrived as well; officer Jenny burst onto the scene with her henchmen. Each one of them had an Arcanine by their side, and they formed an organised line of defence against the incoming mob.

The Carvanha had reached the proximity. The ocean split apart, and hundreds of them took to the air, their jaws snapping at the tourists still trying to out of the water. For a moment, the sheer number of them almost covered the sun. People flailed their limbs in a fit of panic as a huge shadow loomed over, and some of them dove underwater in an act of desperation.

"Flamethrower!" Jenny ordered. Her henchmen obeyed the command, and each Arcanine unleashed a powerful torrent of flames in unison. They aligned on the shore and fired like a row of mortars, striking the invading targets with deadly accuracy. The first wave of Carvanha were denied mid-air as they took a barrage of flamethrowers right in the face, before flopping back into the ocean like limp fish.

The swimmers took their chance to scramble onto dry land, and the police officers began to escort the casualties away from the shore. The Arcanine squad dug their paws into the sand and growled, daring the Carvanha to come any closer. With the authority of the highly trained guard dogs lining the shore like an impenetrable wall, even the most vicious ones hesitated to attack, and most of the tourists managed to reach the safe zone.

Most of the tourists. There were still two kids stranded in the middle of the ocean, encircled by a gang of flesh-eating Piranhas. They were but mere specks in the distance as the relentless waves battered against their wills, sweeping them away from the shore like paper bags in the wind. They clearly stood no chance at all. For every inch they gained, the currents would push them back another ten.

Jenny snatched the megaphone from the lifeguard. A bead of sweat trickled down her neck, for she didn't know what to do in this situation. "You two out there, stay calm and try to swim towards us. My men cannot fire without hurting you." A crowd of onlookers had gathered around in concern, eyeing helplessly as the school of fish closed in on them like predators circling their prey.

May and Ash realised that it was pointless to work against the waves. They broke onto the surface, only to find themselves surrounded in every direction. One of the Carvanha gnawed his teeth in pleasure. May was fairly sure that she wasn't particularly appetising, but judging from their ecstatic faces, she knew that the Carvanha didn't agree.

"Ash," she breathed. "W-What are we going to do?" The brunette was terrified. She found her hands trembling with fear, and her heart was bursting out of her own chest. The Carvanha slowly closed in, but she had to stay calm. Panicking would only cost both of them their lives.

Ash gritted his teeth. They were outplayed, outmanned and outmuscled. _Think, Ash._ He tried to formulate a plan, but his mind was blank. There was a tug on his arm, and Ash realised that May had subconsciously clung onto him in fear. The poor girl, it was his impulsiveness that caused this mess in the first place. Ash gave her a squeeze of reassurance in return, but that was the best he could do as the Carvanha lunged.

Ash instinctively shielded May with his arms as a few of them struck home, each one of them sinking their teeth into his bare skin. Pain flared in his bones. The boy yelled as he attempted to fling them off, but they hung on with a grip of steel, lodging their fangs into his flesh like anchors.

"AAAARGGGH! GET OFF!" Ash swatted at the pesky fishes. A mild throbbing seared throughout his entire body, but it was tolerable. After all, he had survived more than the recommended dose of electricity from his Pikachu. Compared to the electric rat, these Carvanha were amateurs. Ash almost laughed at his own thought, and May wondered if the boy had finally lost his sanity.

"Ash!" The brunette tugged on a stubborn fish who had imbedded his fangs into Ash's right arm, but he wouldn't budge. She pulled with all her might, and finally dislodged the pesky Carvanha. It flailed around like a Magicarp, snapping his fangs towards May in annoyance. She noticed that blood was dripping from it's teeth, and a wave of nausea struck her. May tossed the fish as far as she could, and it landed in the distance with a splash. She gasped.

Fresh blood was leaking into the ocean - from Ash's back, his arms, his shoulders. They trickled down and stained the water with an ugly shade of red, forming a puddle of blood. Ash began to feel dizzy. His vision blurred, and he could feel his arms slacking. His body refused to obey him, and he tumbled, but May caught him.

"Stay with me, Ash." May pleaded. Her eyes welled up as she tossed another Carvanha into the air, she didn't know what to do. Ash could only hear a faint voice in his ear, and the shadowy silhouette of a brunette flickering in and out of sight. The ocean rumbled again, and a stream of bubbles sped across the surface. Judging from the thick white foam that encased them from every angle, there were too many of them to fend off.

May hugged the half-conscious Ash with one arm, and stretched out the other in a hopeless attempt to drive the mob away. Blood stained the front of May's swimsuit. The boy leaned onto her to keep balance, and May could hear his breathing. Faint, but distinguishable. He was still alive, but needed help soon. There was only that much blood someone could lose.

Ash was barely conscious. He felt the warmth of May's skin against his ear as she pulled him against her ribcage in a bone-crushing hug. His legs felt like jelly - wobbly and completely out of control. Ash forced an eye open, and the image of his dear friend flickered into view. She looked fierce and defiant, defending him with all her strength. _He had such good friends._ Ash wanted to say something, but his mouth failed him. He heard the sound of the first Carvanha burst out of the water, and his eyelids drooped.

Ash waited. A second or two passed, but he felt nothing. The familiar feeling of Carvanha teeth clamping onto flesh didn't arrive, nor did the sensation of cold water tingling against his skin. He imagined his body rising upwards. Is this what death feels like? Painless, emotionless, timeless. Perhaps Arceus had forgiven all the times he had stolen from Gary, and decided that he could go to heaven. But what about May? What happened to her?

Ash opened his eyes, and realised that he was in the air. The flock of angry Carvanha snapped at his feet from below, but they were well out of reach. May was beside him as well. Her brown hair was soaked with water, but otherwise she was unharmed. Opening her eyes, she scanned her surroundings with a gaping mouth. It was an absolute miracle that they managed to survive. She tried to move, but realised that something was digging into her shoulders like a clamp.

Ash looked up. Staring right back at him were a pair of sharp, yellow eyes.

"Croooooo-" It let out a shrill cry before flapping it's powerful wings in succession. Ash struggled to open his eyes as the strong gust blew against his face, and the grip on his shoulders tightened. They were ascending. Meanwhile on the beach, a confused officer Jenny watched as the two kids were hauled into the air by a mysterious figure, before disappearing into a speck in the air.

Crobat was one of the fastest species of pokémon; they were racing across the Hano Sea before they knew it.

All Ash could see was a blur of blue underneath, and the occasional glimpse of green resembling an island. They seemed to be heading away from the direction of Hano Beach, so Ash presumed that this wasn't the work of officer Jenny.

"Ash! Are you alright?" May hung next to him, a frantic expression on her face as she tried to squirm into a more comfortable position.

"Yeah." Ash muttered. His vision was coming back to him. Blood was still gushing from his wounds, albeit at a much slower rate. Ash breathed heavily, taking in deep gulps of oxygen to fill his lungs. Perhaps it was the wind against his face, but his head felt lighter and clearer - it was no longer a haze like earlier. They would still need to patch him up and stop the bleeding, but for now he seemed to be fine.

"Hey, where are you going?" He asked Crobat, but the pokémon didn't respond. It glared at Ash with his piercing eyes, and the boy melted back into his place. Crobat huffed, he turned to the front without saying a word, and continued to carry them across the skies.

Ash shot a nervous glance at May, who shrugged in response. "At least he saved us from being fish-food." She contributed thoughtfully. The brunette seemed to be enjoying the ride. She laughed as the currents beat furiously against her face, sending her brown hair sprawling in the air like spaghetti. Ash couldn't help it, he too forced a chuckle as they sped through the skies. It was like a roller-coaster ride, except that they were travelling as fast as a jet.

"Oh, and Ash?" May turned towards the boy, a sparkle in her eyes. "Thank you for what you did earlier."

Ash scratched his head. "Don't worry about it," he muttered, turning a deep shade of red. "I did get us into that mess after all." He said quietly. Looking back at it now, Ash realised how stupid his actions were. Who in the right mind would think about fighting a mob of Carvanha by electrocuting the ocean? It wasn't like this was his first time... right?

May laughed at the embarrassed boy, but she forgave Ash completely. Although his brain may be made of hay, the boy had a heart of gold. It took true courage for Ash to cover May and take the attack himself, and now he was bleeding because of it. May didn't know anyone who would do the same for a friend. "Hey, look! I think we're here." She pointed out.

Sure enough, Ash noticed that they were slowing down as well. The vague outline of islands below them began to materialise into their unique shapes, and he could make out individual wavelets churning across the ocean. Crobat spread his wings like a parachute, and they began to descend from the clouds.

There were many tiny, isolated islets that broke off from Akala island and spread over the ocean, and this was one of them. They were usually uninhabited, with bushy jungles that stretched across the centre, while soft beaches lined the edges. A steamy volcano squatted in-between the jungle and the beach like an awkward child out of place, burping thick fumes of sulphur into the air.

Ash began to wonder why they were landing on this particular island, when he realised that they weren't. Crobat had flown right over it, and they were flying towards a large pillar of stone that erected from the middle of the ocean. It was the size of a miniature mountain, and perched in a rather odd location, as if it were man-made. Patches of slimy moss swamped the sides of the pillar, and jagged edges protruded from the top like spears. An inconspicuous opening was carved near the top.

Squinting his eyes, Ash realised that it was a roughly crafted cave. There was a figure standing near the ledge, the wind howling mercilessly against his face. He had neat blond hair, except for a patch that hung loosely in front of his forehead. His facial features were contorted into a irritated expression, and two studs pierced his right ear. He wore a strange black hoodie accompanied with fitting ripped jeans, and a small pack rather like May's hung around his waist.

"Imbeciles." He muttered, reaching for his pocket.

* * *

 **Unless my english is really that bad, you guys should be able to figure out who that is xD**

 **P.S There won't be an update** **next week, since I've got another story that I've been wanting to write for a while (and I will spend this week writing it). Unfortunately, it is not advanceshipping.**


	7. Chapter 7

The grip on his shoulders slackened, and Ash tumbled onto the ground. His legs buckled as they made contact with the rocky surface, which was encased by a slippery layer of moss.

Rubbing his eyes, Ash examined his surroundings. They seemed to be in a natural cavern pitched high up in the sky. The ocean was a good fifty metres below, and waves crashed mercilessly against the base of the pillar. The walls itself were lined with fiery torches at every side, providing just enough light for Ash to make out the shadowy silhouettes of different objects that surrounded the room.

A rusty, four legged table sat in the middle, while posters of eerie looking creatures were plastered onto the walls. Ash wasn't even sure if they were Pokémon or not. One of them looked like a humanoid jellyfish, whose dangling tentacles were encased by a transparent capsule. It had no eyes, no nose, no facial features whatsoever. A pattern consisting of repeating six edged stars wrapped around the capsule, like some sort of cult symbol.

Ash shifted his vision, spotting a training arena at the back. It had a rather simple layout: a bunch of old bottles lined on top of wooden fences as target practice. Bullet-sized holes peppered across the back of the wall, charred from a mixture of attacks of different typings. Looking at it now, the whole cave resembled a secret base - like the ones Team Rocket used when they were tinkering with illegal experiments.

He realised that the boy was staring at him. "You're bleeding." He pointed out.

"Oh..." Ash touched his forearm, where warm blood was dripping onto the moss stone. The blond-haired boy strode over to the table and fumbled for something - a wool shirt. With one yank, he tore it in half and fashioned it into a makeshift bandage, before tossing it towards Ash. "Here," he said. "Take this. To stop the bleeding."

"I've got it." May volunteered. She crawled next to Ash and bandaged the cloth around his arm. The boy winced as she tightened it into a knot, constricting his muscles into a lump. "You okay?" May asked.

Ash took a deep breath and nodded, gritting his teeth as a wave of pain washed over his fragile body. He adjusted his balance and faced the boy, who seemed to be busy jamming his fingers into a small device. "Thank you, uh..."

"Gladion." The boy scowled, as if annoyed that he was interrupted. Gladion stuffed the device into his pocket and paced around in circles, crossing his arms as he huffed and puffed in self-pity. "What were you two doing out there? Don't you know that the Carvanha always come at this time?" He shot them a look of frustration, as if it were their fault that he had to call on his Crobat.

May frowned. "That was never in the travel brochure."

"Tourists," He grunted with distaste. "I wonder why everyone managed to follow simple instructions to leave the water, yet you two decided that it was a good time for a swim."

"We tried to get on dry land. The sea was too rough to swim." May defended her friend. Gladion's attitude was starting to get to her. Although he did save their lives, the way he spoke made him sound like a pretentious asshole. "Look, Mister _Gladion_ ," she growled. "If you hate us so much, why did you help in the first place?"

Gladion glared at her. "Girl, if you want to stay out there and become Carvanha stew, be my guest. My Crobat is more than capable of dropping you two off in the middle of the sea." He huffed and refused to meet her eyes, but May suspected that something dodgy was going on. There was something that Gladion wasn't telling them.

The blond-haired boy twiddled his thumb and pointed towards Ash, eager to change the subject. "I've been watching you for weeks, Ash."

"What?" Ash blurted. "You've been _stalking_ me this whole time?" He shuffled away from Gladion in discomfort. How much did he know? Ash cringed at the thought of the strange boy spying on some of his more embarrassing moments.

Gladion rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm not interested in how you have imaginary conversations with your friends, or how your mom sends you clean underwear every day."

"You have imaginary conversations with your friends?" May wondered. "And your mom sends you underwear every day?" Her mouth curved into a suppressed smile, imagining the embarrassing scenarios when Ash travelled alone.

"I- Just shut up!" Ash's face reddened, while May giggled to herself.

"Whatever," Gladion didn't seem to care. He stopped by the table and slouched on one of the makeshift stools, drumming his fingers against the surface. "You have something I want." He said simply.

"Huh," Ash's eyes flashed with irritation. "I've got a bag of crisps in my bag if you're hungry." He replied sarcastically.

"Very funny," Gladion snapped. "No, I want an ability you possess. Something that will help me get what I want."

Ash cupped his chin in boredom. "I don't have any abilities. Unless you count the ability to eat a whole pizza in one minute."

Gladion ignored him and leaned close to his ear. " The ability to manipulate the power of the ancient energy. To sense one's surroundings without vision, to create barriers and produce attacks out of thin air. Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about, Ash. I want your aura."

Ash froze. He hadn't used his aura powers since Sinnoh. The only people who knew were his closest friends - May, Max, Dawn and Brock. He certainly hadn't told anyone else, so how on earth did _he_ know? He looked at the Gladion. His eyes shot out like daggers, piercing into his soul, searching for the truth. There was nothing Ash could hide from Gladion.

"But-" he stuttered.

Gladion pursed his lips. "I have my sources. Now tell me, can you control the power of aura or not?"

Ash jutted his jaw stubbornly. "So what if I can?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just need a little favour. After all, I did save you and your little girlfriend's lives." Gladion smirked.

Unsurprisingly, Ash fell for the bait. "She's not my girlfriend!" he yelled. For some reason, May had a disappointed look on her face. The boy sounded so... adamant. "And you can't bargain for anything just because you saved our lives." He added quickly.

Gladion arched his brow. "I thought you stood for moral integrity, _Ash Ketchum_." He emphasised every syllable clearly. The raven-haired boy winced; people usually only spoke his full name when they were angry.

On the contrary, Gladion seemed strangely calm. "Also, I can guide you around Alola." He offered. "I know this place like the back of my hand. Knowing you, Ash, you wouldn't be able to navigate your way out of a paper bag without help."

Ash gritted his teeth, but he knew that Gladion was right. They needed his help to find their way around this region, and after all, they would be nothing but a pile of bones under the sea without him.

"So... what are you going to do with my aura?" He asked.

"That's none of your business."

"No deal then." Ash insisted.

"Fine," Gladion sighed. "I need your aura to open a portal. It leads to another dimension - a different reality in the fabric of space and time. My friend is trapped there, and he will die unless I save him."

Ash stared at the boy. His expression depicted nothing but someone who was proud and arrogant, yet under the mask lay another side that he didn't show - the Gladion who was caring and empathetic. Ash felt sorry for him. Although they weren't the best of friends, he was going to help the boy.

"I guess an extra companion can't hurt. Right, May?" Ash bit his lip, and glanced at the brunette for approval.

May shrugged. She still didn't like Gladion. He was too creepy, too mysterious. Just being around him sent chills down her spine, like he was going to stab them in the back at any moment. Nevertheless, it was Ash's call. This was his journey, and May felt obliged to respect his decision.

"Fine then." Ash looked at the blond-haired boy, who had a smirk of victory wiped across his face. "You've got yourself a deal."

Gladion reached for his pokéball, and Crobat reappeared in front of him. "Shall we?" He spread his arms, motioning for Ash and May to get on board. Crobat's talons dug into Ash's shoulders once more, but Gladion climbed on his back into a comfortable position. "You can take your time," he reassured. "I'm not in a rush to finish my business." They whirred in the air as Croat flapped his mighty wings, and in no time the rocky pillar became nothing but a speck in the ocean.

* * *

Although May didn't want to admit it, Gladion was right. They needed him as a tour guide. Brock used to be in charge of navigation (and pretty much everything else) when they roamed around Hoenn, and without him neither Ash nor May knew how to read a map. They twisted and turned under Gladion's lead, weaving in-between giant skyscrapers, slipping through unhygienic alleyways and making their way across barren plains. After what seemed like hours, the trio found themselves along a scrappy path that lead into a jungle.

According to Gladion, the only way to reach Mount Hokulani was via a coach that ran up and down the hill once a day, so they had to catch it on time. The mountain was way too steep to climb by foot, and no one had enough money to rent a helicopter.

May couldn't wait to see the tallest mountain in the whole of Alola. Rumour had it that Mount Hokulani had an amazing view. On a good night, the sky would be littered with uncountable stars, shining brightly like beacons of hope. If they was extra lucky, they might even see a shooting star. The dreamy thought dangled on May's mind as they sliced their way through the jungle, swatting at the bugs that infested the area.

Gladion was quite a strange boy. He would pace a few metres in front of Ash and May, and trudge silently with a sulky expression on his face. Once in a while May would try to strike a conversation, and Gladion would simply utter a single "Yea" or "Fine" before distancing himself further from the group. She didn't know if he was just antisocial or just really hated them. Probably a combination of both.

"The bus stop should be here." Gladion said, pointing towards a patch of grass where a signpost was planted. It was rusty and crooked with holes spread all over, as if it had been in a war zone. A platter perched on top with the words MOUNT HOKULANI etched in place, but the paint was already fading. Perhaps Mount Hokulani wasn't such a tourist attraction after all.

They waited for almost half an hour. Ash looked like he was about to complain, but Gladion shot him a murderous look, and he shut up. May tapped her foot impatiently against the post. She was starting to get bored as well, when a revving noise bleared from afar. She stood up as the Hokunali coach burst into view, splashing mud everywhere as it wheeled to a magnificent stop.

It resembled a 1930s Greyhound bus, made of great sheets of metal folded into the shape of a vehicle. The windows were open, and the stench of pollution filled the air, burping continuously from the vehicle's exhausts. There were only two passengers on board, leaving the majority of seats vacant. The driver was tall and lean, with matted grey hair and heavy-lidded eyes. He wore white gloves and a plaited officer's cap, looking like some sort of butler from a wealthy family.

The doors cranked open, and Gladion stepped in, motioning for the others to follow suit. He handed the tickets to the driver, who accepted them without even looking. Ash and May found spots at the back, while Gladion settled for the seat opposite the two. Without a word, the doors cranked shut and the engine roared to life, sending May stumbling as the coach belched forward.

The ride was not too spectacular. They snaked their way through a series of narrow, curved roads, and May felt like they were going to flip at every turn. The ancient engines clanked and whirred as if they were about to break down, and they lurched forwards upon hitting every bump in the road.

They turned so close to the edge that May was sure they were going to tumble down the cliffs. Now she understood why no one visited Mount Hokulani. They could have died about five times on that journey alone.

Finally the bus came to a halt, and May had never been so relieved. She swore that she almost had a heart attack. When the doors lurched open, the three of them tumbled out immediately, glad to have left this thriller of a ride. May would rather paratroop into Germany during the Second World War than take the ride again. Even Gladion despised it; his usually sulky face was twisted in annoyance as he stepped off the old coach.

"Phew, that was a ride." Ash dusted his jacket and observed his surroundings. They were so high up that sea-level resembled a bottomless pit, while the clouds almost touched their faces. Ravines crept around either side of the road, advertising inevitable death if they lost their footing near the edge.

Even the air in Mount Hokulani was hard to breathe. Oxygen was a commodity in these altitudes - the air was so thin that Ash found himself panting by just standing still. Although it wasn't snowing, the temperature dropped so low that Ash could see wisps of smoke curling from his mouth when he exhaled.

As usual, the rough conditions didn't seem to bother Ash at all. His mind was fixated on one thing only - the Electrium-Z. "Come on, what are you guys waiting for?" He rubbed his hands together to generate some heat, and set off into the fog without warning.

"Ash," May called his name, but he didn't seem to listen. Ash was too busy humming to himself as he made his way up the path. "You don't know the way. It could be dangerous." She glanced at Gladion with a nervous expression, hoping that he would intervene.

"There's only one path. Even he can't get lost." Gladion muttered, staring after the boy as he began to disappear from sight. He flipped his hood over and faced May with a smile curling at the edge of his mouth. "Oh, don't worry. He won't keep this up for much longer." His voice sounded cold and unwelcoming.

May didn't like the sound of that, but she kept her worries to herself. Gladion had begun to trek uphill like an seasoned climber, swerving left and right to find the most suitable path for walking. May followed suit closely, tracing his steps as he stepped from rock to rock with ease.

Ash hiked the first fifteen minutes with ease. His legs felt like a motor - fatigue simply didn't concur to them as he rambled across the rocky path, kicking stray pebbles and twigs out of the way. The road wasn't in very good condition; once in a while loose patches of soil would crumble under his foot, and he would lose his footing temporarily. Nonetheless, the boy powered on. Adrenaline coursed through his body, rendering the fierce blasts of wind into nothing but a mere prickling on his face.

The two others trailed behind at a much slower pace, carefully choosing their steps to avoid the glaring potholes that rested in the middle of the path. May wondered if Ash was going to be all right. Despite her constant nagging, he had insisted not to wear a coat - his bare skin was only protected by a thin layer of clothing. She felt like her own mom, overprotective and obnoxious, but she knew it was for the best. Ash was the type of person to catch a cold for rolling around the snow in a T-shirt.

Gladion seemed to share her thoughts as well. However, his expression simply read that he couldn't care less. In fact, he probably wanted Ash to catch a cold, just to prove himself right. May shot a dirty look at the boy behind his back.

They climbed higher up the mountain, and the temperature plummeted. Ash felt his legs grow heavy, and his arms began to slump. The icy wind stung his face like pin missiles, and he almost couldn't feel his own skin. The fog became thicker and denser, and Ash felt like he was walking through a graveyard. Mist swirled around his face like a magical veil, glazing his jacket with a layer of frost. Ash couldn't tell how far he travelled - it could have been ten or a hundred metres, and he still wouldn't know. Ash realised that he was trembling.

"I think we should take a break at the Pokémon Centre." He panted, placing his hands on his knees. Gladion gave May a look that said 'I told you so', before striding forward to take the lead. May shivered as well, but she was armed with a fluffy coat that insulated her like a layer of fat.

"Where's that enthusiasm gone, Ashy boy?" She teased, nudging her not-so-well-dressed friend. She looked like a snowman next to the boy, whose attire consisted of a thin T-shirt covered by a blue jacket.

Ash's teeth chattered. His eyes were glued to the Pokémon Centre that sat at the edge of his vision, pulling him towards it like a magnet. The warmth and light that radiated from within was so inviting, so welcoming - Ash could almost imagine the hot chocolate flowing down his throat, the freshly baked cookies melting into his stomach. It seemed so far away, yet crept just within his range of vision, teasing him with the lucid thought of warmth.

"Ash, are you okay?" May noticed that her friend looked pale. She touched his forehead, and gasped. It was cold as ice. "Ash, you're not feeling well. Let's get to the Pokémon Centre."

"Yea..." Ash tried to move, but his legs felt like spaghetti. He buckled and crashed into May's arms. The brunette mustered her strength to lift him up, and gently threw his arms around her neck in support.

"Easy, Ash." She took a single step forward, waiting for the boy to do the same.

"Th-thanks, May." Ash breathed. He tried to move his lips, but they were frozen. His vision blurred, and his brain felt like an icicle. It was as if he had a permanent brain freeze. The howling winds battered against every inch of his face, but Ash could no longer register pain. The only sensation in his mind was the warmth flowing from May's neck, and the sense of comfort as she pressed her body against his in support. They began to move at a slow pace, dragging themselves against the bitter winds that churned all over the mountain.

Gladion stood lazily at the nearest tree, fiddling with his device as he waited for Ash to catch up.

"Are you going to help or not?" May flared. She was just about managing on her own without breaking every bone in her body. Perhaps it was all the food he ate, but Ash weighed a lot more than he looked. Meanwhile, Gladion simply watched on the sidelines, being absolutely useless as always. May felt the urge to scream at him.

Gladion scowled. He shuffled to Ash's left reluctantly, and placed his other arm over his shoulder. May felt the pressure on her shoulder drop instantly, and her pain alleviated. "Thank you." She sighed.

Together, they heaved Ash towards the Pokémon centre. He looked like a zombie at this point - his skin deathly pale, his blue and swollen. Fortunately, Ash was still conscious, and he eased the process by yanking his legs backwards like a three-legged race.

May tumbled through the familiar glass doors that lined the entrance, and immediately a wave of heat washed over her body. The frost on May's jacket began to melt, and a little colour returned to Ash's face. Panting heavily, she set him onto the sofa like a delicate piece of artwork. What should she do now? Ash looked paler and paler by the minute. Warmth. He needed warmth. May frantically removed her coat and draped it over the boy like a blanket, while Gladion stood unhelpfully at her side. May breathed. She had no idea where to go from here.

"Nurse Joy!" She exclaimed. May had never been so relieved to see the pink-haired lady in her entire life. Nurse Joy emerged from the waiting room, her eyes widening as she spotted the pale boy. Placing her glasses on the desk, she scurried over and examined Ash.

"Oh my," Nurse Joy covered her mouth. "He's been wearing far too little clothes. I'm afraid your friend here has a mild case of hypothermia. Nothing life-threatening, but he'll have to be careful for the next few hours."

She produced a glass of warm water and tipped it over the Ash's mouth. The boy opened his mouth and drank it in clumsy gulps. The water spilled all over May's jacket, but it seemed to do the trick. Ash began breathing regularly, and a tinge of red materialised on his cheeks. His fingers twitched as if thawed from being frozen, and the boy slumped onto the side like a baby.

"Here, give him this when he wakes up." Nurse Joy cracked open a chocolate bar, and handed a chunk to May. "He'll be fine in no time." She gave her a warm smile.

Gladion announced that he was bored within ten minutes, and promptly retreated to his own room. Nurse Joy took their company for another half an hour before yawning and heading for bed, leaving May alone with the sleeping boy.

The lights soon shut off, indicating that it was midnight. However, May waited patiently. She wanted to make sure that Ash was alright.

It wasn't for another hour before Ash woke up, and May had almost fallen asleep herself. Her eyelids were drooping when the boy stirred in his sleep, muttering a few words before shooting upright. Remembering Nurse Joy's words, May scrambled for the bar of chocolate inside her fanny pack.

Ash devoured the snack like a hungry wolf, almost taking a chunk out of May's fingers. "Owie." She complained. "How are you suddenly so energetic when there's a piece of chocolate hanging in front of you."

Ash gave her a weak smile. "Sorry." He coughed, before falling into a slumber again. May sat in the chair opposite, gazing at the sick boy. He looked so... peaceful. The way he shut his eyelids, the way his mouth curved in his sleep - even the drooling looked kind of cute. May tried to shuffle Ash into a more comfortable position, as he was currently face planting into the sofa - when she realized that Ash was whispering.

"May?" He mumbled with his eyes closed, so May didn't know if he was conscious or not. It may well could have been that he was sleep-talking; she had experienced her fair share of scares in Hoenn when she woke up in the middle of the night, only to realize that Ash spewing garbage out of his mouth. Nevertheless, May took the benefit of the doubt and assumed that he wasn't.

"Yes, Ash?" She leaned close to his ear, for Ash was speaking so quietly that it was almost masked by the sound of the radiators. The Pokémon center was strangely quiet. Even the everpresent chirping from the crickets living in the forsest had subsided into a minute echo, for most of them had went to sleep.

The radiators hummed. Ash's breathing was nothing more than a faint heartbeat, pulsing throughout the empty lobby. May had adjusted to her night-vision, but otherwise it would be pitch black - the only source of light was from the moon, whose subtle rays pierced through the glass casing and reflected off the ground like glittering diamonds.

"Thank you." He managed. It came out as nothing more than a faint croak, but May's heart melted like butter. The words were so simple; yet they meant so much. She could sense the sincerity in his voice, whether he was conscious or not - and a warm sensation flowed through her body, soothing her worries and calming her nerves.

Everything was going to be all right, everything was going to be fine. Shutting her eyes, May smiled and held her hand close to her heart. When she looked again, the boy was snoring.


End file.
